artwork

Exhibition this Saturday in Canning Town

architecture, art, drawing, Exhibition, location drawing, location painting, Painting

This Project 21 exhibition on Saturday 30th November is part of the Night Light Canning Town event.

Project 21

Project 21 – Collaboration between 21 different artists and disciplines at the caravanserai space in Canning Town.

My part in the exhibition will be based on large-scale drawings inspired the local architecture, urban environment and population. For me this is quite a new way of working. I am used to making small fast drawings. Research has been done in this way, by cycling around and drawing the local area, and the work itself will be started the day before and completed on the day of the exhibition. In scale and rapid completion of an entire composition this is experimental for me but I think this approach will lend itself to the work.

The idea:

Title: Structure, Shift, Lift and Lay.
Medium: Ink, Acrylic & Paper
Size: The inside of big box. Three walls and a ceiling roughly 8 ft square.

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Structure, Shift, Lift and Lay  is a landscape piece drawn from the developing urban area of Canning Town. The piece allows the viewer to stand back and get an overview of the area’s many layers, structures and environments existing side by side; the residential, the docks, industry, modern monoliths, old buildings, fast trains and roads, the hovering cable cars and the river.  The changes taking place are vast and structural and in their wake is the cultural shift of the area with all its social and commercial potential for both creation and destruction.  These changes can be seen in both negative and positive ways by different people; residents, investors, contractors, and local businesses. This piece offers for contemplation a compacted glimpse of the vast structural systems within which, and through which, all these people relate.

 

Natural Selection

art, botanical, Camden Market, Design, drawing, Illustration, Market Stall, natural observation, Painting
Oysters in Bloom (detail) '13

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

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

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

Return to the market Sundays from November

art, Camden Market, Design, drawing, Illustration, Market Stall, Painting

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!

‘Dots and Dashes – Dance’ – ’13
‘Kicking Up the Leaves’ – ’13
Devendra Banhart – Old Folk Song 2013
Mississippi John Hurt – I’m Satisfied – 2013
Love Knot ’13
Autumn Spring IV ’13
Autumn Spring – ’13 – Full Series
Joni In Green
Karen Dalton
Camden View from Bridge 2.
Camden View from Bridge 1.
Curl ’13
Bertrand Russell and Eccentricity “Do not fear to be eccentric… every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.”

look forward to seeing some friendly faces down the market!

Autumn Spring Series

art, botanical, Design, drawing, Illustration, location painting, metamorphosis, natural observation, Painting

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’.

Autumn Spring I ’13
Autumn Spring II ’13
Autumn Spring III ’13
Autumn Spring IV ’13
Autumn Spring V ’13

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

Autumn Spring – ’13 – Full Series

Neil Gaiman – ‘Make Good Art’ Speech – Sketchnotes

art, Design, drawing, Illustration, Quotes, Sketchnotes

Having been drawing ideas and taking visual notes for a long time I have begun to create full ‘sketchnotes’ of talks/lectures and interesting ideas, as well as my short story illustrations. This also links back to my Musicians, Writers and Philosophers project, creating work based on those who inspire me.

Below is a sketchnote from Neil Gaiman’s wonderful speech ‘Make Good Art’ (worth a watch if you have any ideas about starting out in a freelance art world) to a graduating class.

Click on images to view larger, in gallery.
Neil Gaiman Speech – ‘Make Good Art’ – Sketchnotes 1
Neil Gaiman Speech – ‘Make Good Art’ – Sketchnotes 2
Neil Gaiman Speech – ‘Make Good Art’ – Sketchnotes 3
Neil Gaiman Speech – ‘Make Good Art’ – Sketchnotes 4
Neil Gaiman Speech – ‘Make Good Art’ – Sketchnotes 5
As usual, for prints please email bb_blanche@hotmail.com

Bertrand Russell on Eccentricity and Love

art, Design, drawing, Illustration, Painting, philosophy, Quotes

:~:

Although these works are part of my on-going project ‘Musicians, Writers & Philosophers’  I feel this fellow deserves his own post. No introduction needed…

:~:

Bertrand Russell and Eccentricity "Do not fear to be eccentric... every opinion now accepted was once eccentric."

Bertrand Russell and Eccentricity
“Do not fear to be eccentric… every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.”

:~:

Bertrand Russell - "Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness."

Bertrand Russell – “Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness.

:~:

Amen.

comments welcome, prints available.

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Open Studio – 16th-18th August

art, drawing, Exhibition, Illustration, Painting

This weekend

Address: 45 Whitepost Lane Studios, Hackney Wick, London

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The main body of work will be from the series, The Figure and Metamorphosis

Other work in progress: Musicians, Writers & Philosophers

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16th – 18th August – the studio will be open alongside many others for the Hackney Wicked festival. 

http://www.hackneywicked.co.uk/artist/blanche-ellis/

Untitled, 2013

Untitled, 2013

Stall of Artwork at Camden Market

art, Camden Market, Design, folktale, Illustration, Market Stall
Sunbathing in Blue

Sunbathing in Blue

So, after fighting with my printer, delivery times, my sanity and the need to sleep I’ve realized/decided that I will be ready to go on the market this weekend after all!

Camden Lock Market - West Yard

Camden Lock Market – West Yard

That’s Camden Market (probably in the West Yard) where, on Saturday, I’ll be sitting behind a stall, talking to my guitar, to passers by, and hopefully some friends, drinking tea and maybe noting some interest in my artwork from the madding Christmas crowd. It is due to be sunny which, at highs of 5 degrees, is a blessing!

Given some of the problems stated above, most of my cards (from the last post) will actually be ready for next weekend so I’m doing some handmade ones for this week (and shall be on the stall if my hands don’t freeze). Most of the other artwork will be prints, paints, drawings and originals in A4 (as I haven’t a way to transport the rest) and a couple of paintings and bits and bobs. See below!

Do come by if you’d like to say hi. I’ve no idea how the day will go and would really like to see some friendly features floating my way.

Well, here goes.

Camden Market Stall

art, Camden Market, Design, folktale, Illustration, Market Stall
Camden Lock Market - West Yard

Camden Lock Market – West Yard

Next Saturday (December 9th) if all goes to plan I will be running my own market stall in Camden Lock (West Yard probably) for the first time. I’ll be selling my artwork in the form of cards, prints and originals (and probably singing to myself with or without my guitar).

Well, to start, here are some of the cards I am making. I’m deciding on numbers just now so let me know which ones you like by comment or email and I will make lots of them! Having never taken my work far outside the circle of family and friends I haven’t much of a clue how my work will fall. They don’t have particular themes (i.e. Christmas) they are designs and illustrations some new and some taken from other parts my work and sketchbooks. It’s interesting for me to return to the work I’ve been making and see the themes, birds and leaves keep coming up, and though there’s only one with fish in here it seems there was a time there were a lot of fish floating around in my work. So here they are, perhaps an oddball set of cards, given the lady with the fish, the pop-up puppet theatre and the pregnant gathering but hopefully they will live well, leave the stall and travel on.

The colours come up so bright on the computer, the cards will emerge looking more calm I do believe, but here is the gist.

If you’d like to come visit me next weekend that would be lovely, tea and a chat will probably make the day less chilly.

very best from the start of a new adventure!

Blanche

bb_blanche@hotmail.com