Michelle Elwell is an artist/printmaker based in London. Inspired by nature, she creates vibrant images with a unique quality. Having studied Fine Art at Central St. Martins and Byam Shaw School of Art, Michelle went on to specialise in printmaking. In 2008 she graduated with an MA in Printmaking from the University of Brighton, in association with the London Print Studio.
Inspiration
Michelle’s fascination with the aesthetics and ephemerality of nature and her passion for growing flowers provides the inspiration for her work. Her vibrant and ethereal images reflect the fragile beauty of flowers in a unique way. She is inspired by both the simplicity and complexity of natural forms and specifically finding beauty at moments when things are beginning to emerge and when they are coming to an end. Her work considers the acceptance that everything is in a state of transition and acknowledging the inevitability of decay, death and rejuvenation.
Being a classically trained musician, music figures highly in the creative process. Michelle enjoys listening to a variety of genres of music, the music listened to whilst creating often influences the outcome of the image and at times provides a title.
Process
Michelle does not consider herself to be a photographer but rather as an artist who uses the camera as a tool, the image is paramount and supersedes the technicalities of the process. Michelle uses extensive digital manipulation in editing her images. They are meticulously composed by layering multiple photographs of each bloom from its opening to its final day. She combines different parts of the flower and enhances the colours digitally, giving the transient flowers a renewed permanence. This process transforms the flowers into vibrant multi-faceted images with a sense of drama and movement
Traditional Prints
Her traditional prints are on a smaller, more intimate scale, again using layers by creating multiple plates. She regards these as studies of aspects of the natural world that inspire and interest her.
Inspiration
Michelle’s fascination with the aesthetics and ephemerality of nature and her passion for growing flowers provides the inspiration for her work. Her vibrant and ethereal images reflect the fragile beauty of flowers in a unique way. She is inspired by both the simplicity and complexity of natural forms and specifically finding beauty at moments when things are beginning to emerge and when they are coming to an end. Her work considers the acceptance that everything is in a state of transition and acknowledging the inevitability of decay, death and rejuvenation.
Being a classically trained musician, music figures highly in the creative process. Michelle enjoys listening to a variety of genres of music, the music listened to whilst creating often influences the outcome of the image and at times provides a title.
Process
Michelle does not consider herself to be a photographer but rather as an artist who uses the camera as a tool, the image is paramount and supersedes the technicalities of the process. Michelle uses extensive digital manipulation in editing her images. They are meticulously composed by layering multiple photographs of each bloom from its opening to its final day. She combines different parts of the flower and enhances the colours digitally, giving the transient flowers a renewed permanence. This process transforms the flowers into vibrant multi-faceted images with a sense of drama and movement
Traditional Prints
Her traditional prints are on a smaller, more intimate scale, again using layers by creating multiple plates. She regards these as studies of aspects of the natural world that inspire and interest her.
