Born to two artists, Ella has always been encouraged to create. She grew up mostly in northern New Jersey, living for a while in Tehran, Iran, as her father is Persian. She continued her pursuits through college, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice/Pre-Law. She hated shoveling snow so in 2004, she relocated to Phoenix, AZ. However, she missed trees, so in 2007 she moved to Austin.In her artwork, Ella is fascinated by people, especially faces, and scrutinizing all the details in features that make people human. Contrast is another reoccurring theme, examining how light and dark work together to explain form to the viewer.

Ella Nilsson is an illustrator and painter. Like songs on an album, creating art in a series allows Ella the parameters to fully explore a concept. Her "Shady Ladies" series explores the interaction of hand shadows cast onto faces. In 2020, she worked on a "quarantine edition," in which her friends sent their selfies for her to paint. New works include an "extra shady edition," that adds another layer of shadows from hats.