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Dalia Smayze
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Elle Smith Lives and works in London, United Kingdom
An artist's statement
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ew artist Elle Smith brings a strong new vision to the scene, despite having only discovered her natural ability to paint in 2014. She works in oils on canvas, producing very compact portraits plus pieces of abstract and conceptual artwork. Self-taught with no formal training, Elle simply paints from sight but with remarkable results. It’s a sharp departure from her years in academia, though that history provides her with great insight and empathy in the themes she embraces. Elle’s intuitive connection to her subject shines through in portraits and the themes of her abstract. Elle’s inspiration has been shaped from her own life experiences. With work that’s accessible to all, she nevertheless tackles everyday and complex themes to give her audience pause for thought on the deeper message conveyed. Born and bred in the United Kingdom, Elle has also lived in the South of France and is much travelled. She is currently based in London.
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With a conceptual approach, Smith wants to amplify the astonishment of the spectator by creating compositions or settings that generate tranquil poetic images that linger, balancing lightly the edge of recognition and alienation. Her works directly respond to the surrounding environment using everyday experiences of the artist as a launching point. Often these are framed instances that would likely go unnoticed in their original context. Her works often appear as dreamlike images - where fiction and reality collide, merging well-known tropes as the past and present fuse. Time and memory always play a key role. A mother, sister, friend, partner, career woman and animal lover - Elle connects with her audience through her imagination and expressiveness in modern media. Though new to the art world, already she is having an impact and sparking ripples amongst the community now applauding her work. You can find her art at: http://www.inspiredbyelle.com