Ellen Banks' early works from the 1960s are predominantly figurative and were created in oil on canvas and with wax crayon on paper. They depict still lifes, landscapes, and simplified, sometimes childlike motifs with clear colors. These works mark the starting point of her artistic process and form the basis for her later turn to abstraction and systematics.

This development can already be observed in works such as “Facade” and “FIVE, 4, 3, 2, 1,” which show a tendency toward more geometric forms.