Ted Ellis has over his career created art in a number of styles and has incorporated several primary influences.
African American history and African American culture play central roles in Ellis art, which regularly feature themes like Buffalo Soldiers, cotton fields, and Jazz music; his Jazz works especially lean towards the impressionistic. Other common themes range from fisherman to religious scenes as in Thee Baptism, My Fathers Baptism, and Deacons Door, to African ethnic scenes like Afrimage and Ashanti'.
The Church-related themes in his art he attributes to formative experiences with his mother at their local house of worship, "Beulah Land Church".
While he is best known for his ethnic art, many of Ellis' pieces are landscapes, seascapes, and portraits.
Ted Ellis is a self-taught artist. He has describes his style at times as "conventional realism", as a bold blend of realism and impressionism, and as impressionist and naturalist, an old masters' style that is sometimes figurative and sometimes folk art. "I try to capture the essence in one stroke" he said.
Ellis has also coined the term "Tedism" to describe his style. "Tedism" blends impressionism, soul, and folk stories to create representational pieces.
Ted Ellis considers himself to be a social, political and spiritual artist as well as educator and "creative historian". "I paint subjects that are representative of the many facets of American life as I know it" says Ellis. "I like to think of myself as a creative historian. I was put here to record history...all aspects of American culture and heritage. My sole purpose has always been to educate through my art". He draws inspiration from peoples memories of family or from history, and says that hes "a history buff at heart. I read a lot, and I have more books than paint."
As an artist who focuses on African American history, Ellis intentionally does not approach its difficult chapters from a position of pain: "I have to be careful what I do [...] theres a power to art. I dont want to be from an angry position. Thats out there, and maybe they do that to shake you up and make you think. I want to be one step ahead. When youre talking about healing, you're in the right zone." As such, his images of slavery and historical Southern life focus on positive values such as family, character, and church.
Ellis attributes a love for and influence in his art to New Orleans and its rich culture of creativity. He compared the city to an incubator for young talent. The city offered Ted art clubs and opportunities to design murals for school and create signs for special events. New Orleans gave him access to art classes, summer art programs, and the vibrant Jackson Square, somewhere he could talk with and get to know many artists.
Ellis favorite artists include Henry Ossawa Tanner, Edward Bannister, Jacob Lawrence, Samella Lewis, and John T. Scott, while among his work the favorite painting is Sunday Worship'.