Really looking forward to a return to market-life this Wednesday at Baxter Stores Christmas market where I’ll be selling Christmas cards, art prints, originals and framed work…. pop in to get ideas for art-gifts as the inevitable season approaches.
Find many of these things in my Etsy shop
This guy might be appearing in an exhibition soon, at 14 Bacon St, with the other Strange Familiars…
If they don’t wander off the market stall on Wednesday that is!
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In reverse of the usual order…illustrating drawings with text… to be combined into a book, and exhibition.
I’m still looking for contributors/collaborators for this project.
There are over 40 artworks to be illustrated and I’ll be publishing them gradually here and on my social media @BlancheEllisArt as the project progresses… so keep an eye out here. I may also be putting up snippets of the writing I’ve received… with permission of the authors.
Changing shape…
Even since I posted about this last week the idea has developed, mostly because of the amazing responses I’ve had already from friends, strangers, other artists, an art-book maker and poets and authors from different backgrounds, and languages. And have found many secret authors in my acquaintances.
I’m so happy to be receiving this fount of creativity!
Words lead words…
It’s even leading me to write myself, in an attempt to track what I am looking for. Other people draw out my words with their own wonderful phrases and I feel the pitch, the roll and magnetism of the word collaboration, a force all of it’s own… changing the shape of my intension as it unfolds. Perhaps a preface…
“Word-turns apt in riddle and rhythm to trip and roll the mind causing backtrack, retrace, and circled in so turning, the sentence sense embraced. The way a picture leads the eye, not forward to finality but, with concentric in-conclusions, as a dance that makes sense-of-a-step does so by leading you both too-and-fro and leaving you, not locked, but poised by punctuation.”
Drink Me –
The Story-World…
The initial idea was that each piece of text be another ‘moment’ from the images story-world, a suggestion or clue that opens up the narrative to further interpretation rather than attempting to complete, or explain the picture itself. Instead of finished stories I’m looking for writing that echoes or extends the sense of mystery and magical-realism, and may do so without obvious reference to the image itself. It could be specific, detailed, atmospheric or impressionistic. All and any ideas appreciated!
As the project opens up I think the writing could be in anthropological, an impossible recipe, a critique of a non-existant novel (think J. L. Borges), a short letter, a completely brazen critique of a character, or of the picture itself .
Ideas abound
Please share any ideas here or by email at blancheellis@gmail.com
See more of the images on Instagram and in the previous post and call out…
Thank you for stopping by!
b
‘Cubs’ – Another from the series – Mythologies.
CALL OUT: I have plans for a book and am looking for a writer.
This series has over 40 pieces and most of them emerge as if from some old myth, folk tale or strange internal narrative. This is why I call them ‘Mythologies’.
But… the tales they tell have never been written.
In the reverse to the usual relationship of text and image I am looking to collaborate with someone (or several people) to write text to accompany each picture, to illustrate the images, if you will. The idea is to combine these into a book. This writing, be it a paragraph of prose or a few lines of poetry, will sit opposite the artwork on each page and make a pair to be ‘read’ together.
The Story-World…
The idea is that each piece of text be another ‘moment’ from the images story-world, a suggestion or clue that opens up the narrative to further interpretation rather than attempting to complete, or explain the picture itself. Instead of finished stories I’m looking for writing that echoes or extends the sense of mystery and magical-realism, and may do so without obvious reference to the image itself. It could be specific, detailed, atmospheric or impressionistic.
I’m very excited to see what emerges from the birth of this project…..
If you are interested….
I’d love to see any snatches of writing inspired by this as starting points and inspiration for the project which is just beginning and is a brand new idea, so do share this with anyone who might be interested, and email blancheellis@gmail.com for more images if you’d like to try writing something, or to discuss ideas for the project.
More images from the work can be seen on my Instagram @BlancheEllisArt
Thanks for stopping by!
Blanche
after years of techno-phobia, I have got around to opening my Etsy shop with prints and original artwork from the last few years, as well as freshly created work that I will soon be adding. Although I prefer face-to-face sales, not everyone is that close by so it’s nice to open up shop to a wider range of people…
All the frames in the shop are hand-made by me to suit the artwork.
Something that I take great joy in getting just-right.
Listings will be going up over the coming weeks so keep an eye out for new work.
Find the shop at BlancheEllisArt
Lots of work from my Instagram account will be going up
so if you see anything you like there… let me know.
Thanks for stopping by !
Blanche
Really looking forward to being part of this exhibition in Vauxhall at VGCC on September 19th – it’s going to be a real mix of artists and mediums and raising money to keep the community centre open.
My contribution will be a little cast of characters that have been emerging from my desk of late, combining the strange bodies of my imagination with equally strange advice that has jigsawed into place from cut-up text, books, newspapers and other once innocently printed and now mis-used words.
more info here :
https://www.facebook.com/events/1675668462652087/
New Instagram Fan
Well, after dipping a dubious toe in the waters of social media I have found that Instagram is a perfect language for me. Just pictures. So I have that now @BlancheEllisArt – as a way to share my daily sketches and reflect the way I work.
Exhibition in Vauxhall
Also… I will be part of a group exhibition in Vauxhall Community Centre on September 19th. It will be a mix of artists and of arts from music to sculpture and I’ll be putting in some of the characters who have emerged this summer from my pen, watercolour palette and cut up text. As usual they all appear to be in some stage of distortion or metamorphosis.
I’ll introduce you to a few of the ones currently tacked to the wall of my studio….
Oysters in Bloom (detail) ’13
In this ink, watercolour and gouache series I celebrate the beautiful things we find underfoot.
Helicopter Leaves in Violet ’13
Especially those that have carried life, in wood, or bone, or shell, or sap: objects that I find endlessly fascinating. There’s also a focus on the colours of this time of year, which are my favourite. See the full gallery here.
Autumn of Albion – ’13
I am on Camden Market in the East Yard every Sunday until Christmas with prints of my work. (And possibly more often too!) If you want to find me there or find out when I’m next going email blancheellis@gmail.com
Hello All,
I’m back on the market!! I’ll be down there every Sunday (and some Fridays) until Christmas – and probably more days – look here, or call/email me to find out when i’ll next be down:
– blancheellis@gmail.com –
I will be selling prints like last year – with a whole years worth of new material including the ‘Musicians, Writers & Philosophers’ project and a peak into a new series I’m beginning – ‘Whimsy’ yes, whimsy – until I find a better name for my playful little figures.
I will also be selling framed work and prints in frames that I have handmade for each individual work. – small selection of prints below!
look forward to seeing some friendly faces down the market!
I have always loved conkers, they look and feel like the most delicious things in the world, they all fall in such a short time and tarnish to a dull sheen so quickly.
This year I’ve tried to catch them in their most glorious moments as they burst from their shells and start to become like wizened little old faces which populate my room until the next ‘fall’.
Again this series echoes my fascination with metamorphosis. I chose the title Autumn Spring because there is something of the freshness of spring in the brief flowering of this autumn fruit, joining the two opposing seasons reminds me how the years roll round, and round… and round.
Autumn Spring – ’13 – Full Series
This is a short series of two. A couplet, if you will.
Love Knot ’13
If Our Life Were a Leaf-Boat ’13
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for prints email bb_blanche@hotmail.com
Blanche Ellis 