By Kristine Lowder
The next time you try capturing a budding iris on film or listen to a piano concerto, remember Ellen Pickell — and the spotted owl.
An award-winning photographer and piano teacher, Ellen Pickell grew up in a small town in New Jersey. “We didn’t even have our own high school,” she says. A Harbor resident since 1967, Ellen now lives on about 160 acres in the Grass Creek area, roughly halfway between Hoquiam and Ocean Shores. She and her husband, Bill, a retired forester, raise grass-fed beef. And, Ellen is at home at both the piano keyboard and behind a camera.
Music has long been a part of the Pickell household. Ellen recalls, “In our house, my husband and I agreed our kids would learn to play piano. And they did.”
Ellen earned her degree from The Evergreen State College in music. She became a state and nationally certified music teacher in piano. The certificate allows students to study with a certified teacher for credit. A Hoquiam private piano teacher since 1969, Pickell is also an adjunct piano instructor at Grays Harbor College. Many of her students are playing for their own enjoyment. Some are in musical careers. Three of her students have been selected to play with the Grays Harbor Symphony including Clara Park who will play Mendelssohn’s “Capriccio Brillante” with the Symphony on June 7.”
A grandmother of five, Ellen uses a combination of tools to teach piano. She also gives students a choice in material. “I ask them what looks good to you?” She says she wants her students to learn scales and chords because “they apply to all types of music.”
Ellen teaches students of all ages, from children to adult. She has some “really good students” and enjoys “seeing people improve and perform musically.” Students come from word of mouth, referrals, and some advertising.
A big challenge is matching schedules. Flexibility and finding the time to practice are key. Ellen says she’s taught piano lessons at 6:00 a.m. for kids in sports. “We explore whatever we have to do to make it work,” she explains.
Ellen switched gears in 1988 and 1992, running for the state Senate and House, respectively. “I came close both times,” she says. “I didn’t know if I’d go back to teaching again, but I did.”
“I’m very fortunate,” says Ellen. “I have two things to do that I really like. I have wonderful students and I love teaching. It’s a two-way gift.”
When she’s not teaching piano, Ellen can often be found behind the camera keeping a sharp eye out for photographic opportunities. “Wherever I have my camera, I have an opportunity,” she says.
Ellen bought her first camera in 1991. She “visited all the local camera stores – three at the time – and decided what I wanted and bought it.” Largely self-taught, Ellen has also taken coursework at Grays Harbor College. She credits local photographer Les Morgan with much of her photographic success. It all began with a photo on an Iris bud.
Ellen says that when Morgan saw her photo of the iris, he responded favorably and urged her to continue developing her skills. “He said, ‘This is the best floral I’ve ever seen.’ When I asked ‘Why?,’ he started telling me why, and we’d go over what I was getting.”
Ellen took Morgan’s advice. She subsequently entered the Iris bud photo in the Grays Harbor County Fair. It won first place. She has since twice judged photography entries at the Grays Harbor County Fair.
She won Best of Show in the Professional Division of the Associated Arts of Ocean Shores competition for her photo of a floral in a barn window with cob webs. Her photos have been displayed at the former Gallery Marjuli in Ocean Shores. Ellen has also served on the advisory committee for photography classes for the Aberdeen and Hoquiam School Districts.
Ellen says her work in photography “got started because of the spotted owl. (The owl controversy was) locking up so much of forest land. Those of us who are forestry-related got an opportunity to put our photos in a glossy book.” Photography was one way to tell the other side of the spotted owl story – from a forestry viewpoint.
And Ellen did just that. One of her photos was selected to be hung in former Representative Linda Smith’s office in Congress. The color print features a male adult logger and a young boy pointing to a steam donkey in the forest. It’s titled Father and Son.
Ellen’s photography is an eclectic collection of outdoor and nature scenes. The emphasis is often on forestry or related topics. Wildlife subjects include horses, deer, peregrine falcons, bald eagles and butterflies. Outdoor subjects include familiar Harbor sites such as Damon Point, sunsets at Hoquiam’s 8th Street Landing, and the North Head Lighthouse. Also waterfalls, kites, sunsets, beach scenes, flowers, and clam digging are featured.
When asked what she likes best about her photography Ellen replied, “I like all the processes – being out and taking pictures, seeing how they come out., working with them and making them into cards and prints. It’s really neat when someone says, ‘I really like this and want to take it home.’”
Ellen Pickell has two children, both grown, and five grand children. You can find her and her photography at the Grays Harbor Farmers Market in Hoquiam most Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. For more information, contact her at 360.532.7294 or ellenpickell@gmail.com.
