Timothy C. Ely (born February 9, 1949) is a contemporary American painter, graphic artist, and bookbinder, known for creating single-copy handmade books as art objects. Ely was born in Snohomish, Washington in 1949. Following graduate school (University of Washington, MFA 1975), Ely undertook a self-directed study of bookbinding and began to create his first work.. Much of Ely’s work is annotated with his own glyphs he calls “cribriform.” Ely currently lives in Colfax, Washington.