Artist Profile: Art of Ellie (Ellie Anderson)

Words by Wendy Ma

We have been a fan of Art of Ellie for quite some time! From seeing her win the RAW Awards at the very beginning, the intricate illustrations made a lasting impression. Brisbane based illustrator and printmaker Ellie Anderson, a graduate from QCA has mastered fusing patterns with flora and forna to create her ornamental designs.

We're super excited that we'll soon be able to acquire slices of her magic through her online store in our PJ's at any hour of the day! We catch up with her before her launch party at The Box on Thursday night...

1. If you had to sum up your art in three words, what would they be?

intricate, pattern, nature!

2. When and how did you discover that you were made to create?

Well I've always found pleasure in artistic pursuits, perhaps the first inkling was a visit by a child psychologist to my preschool who set an assortment of tasks to assess our mental, social and emotional development. I have no recollection of this, but I've been told that as part of the assessment we were given a drawing task, and apparently the figure I drew was the only one to have a neck and hands. This resulted in me spending the rest of the day basking in the glory of the psychologists praise and her promise to buy one of my artworks when I grew up. So maybe this where my aspirations to be a successful artist stem from :-)

3. Tell us a bit about your process?

It all starts with an ink drawing- this process is very organic, free flowing, with not a lot of pre-planning. Then I take it through a silkscreen process which is very precise, and requires a fair bit of foresight and planning. I love the yin and yang quality of the two processes. It also pretty much sums up my personality!

4. Who inspires you the most?

So many people inspire me! I'll list a few of my local heroes :) In terms of creative small business I'm inspired by - Everingham & Watson, Holly Ryan, Cubby Love, The Joynery, and Nico Underwear - these chicks are doing seriously awesome stuff, I admire how prolific and hard working they are! In terms of creative individuals I have to give props to - Project Manager of Gilimba and The Box - Samantha Seljak; Contemporary Indigenous artist - Elisa Jane Carmichael; Artist/Curators - Lucinda Wolber and Alex Winters; and Wall Muralists and Signwriter duo- Frank & Mimi. These guys are doing incredible things for the culture of Brisbane and we are so lucky to have them! There are so many other local talents I admire!!!! But I'm afraid this answer will become a little long winded...

5. What keeps you motivated?

All the wonderful, creative, and hard-working gals I surround myself with (you know who you are!)

6. Tell us about what you do at The Box?

I'm the Creative Arts Director at The Box. I use my fine art and gallery
management background to help out in the areas of art direction, facilitating exhibitions, visual arts workshops and any creative arts based events. I also manage the artist studio at The Box.

From January 2014, The Box will be taking a bit of a new direction....
We'll no longer be at our current physical space on Vulture St, in West End - We're continuing on as a bi/trimonthly pop-up initiative :) So keep your eyes peeled, we might just be popping up at a venue near you!

7. What's next for Art of Ellie?

I've got lots of ideas rattling around the ol' noggin, but my main focus is to get the online store up and running smoothly. After that I'll start creating new work, and continue lining up exhibitions and collaborations! Basically just keep the wheels in motion. I'm also saving up for a big trip next year! I'm going to Mexico and Canada for 2 and a bit months :-D

8. Plans for Christmas?

Sticking around Brisbane, hopefully I'll have lots of Christmas purchases to print up from my online store sales :-) And also having some quality family time with plenty of food and booze!

9. If you were an electronic device of platform what would it be and why?

I would definitely be instagram.... because, I was born to share pretty pictures with the world :-P

To celebrate the launch of the store, Ellie will be throwing a party at The Box starting from 6pm. She'll be showcasing her handmake silscreen prints and a limited run of tees, totes, cards and other goodies. All attendees will even get $50 Naked Wine vouchers and go into the running to win an exclusive print! Be there of be squares!