TheQueen'sParkGallery,Bridgetown,St.Michael
ExhibitionOpeningHours:Monday-Saturday10:00AM-6:00PM
SundayCLOSED
ExhibitionCloses: Wednesday,April24th2024
Formoreinformationemailellerene.art@gmail.com/Oneka-Small@ncf.bborcall427-2345
“Theactorresultofapprehending theinnernatureofthingsorof seeingintuitively”
WhoisElleRene?
ElleReneismyalter-ego.Itallowsmeto distancemyselffrommyworkasmuchasI needto.Workisoftenpersonal,butsometimes Iliketheabilitytohearwhatpeoplethink aboutmyworkwithoutbeingidentifiedasthe artist.Italsohelpstomaintaindistanceon socialmedia;tokeepmypublicandprivate mattersseparate.Thesimplestanswer, however,isthatElleReneisanartist,and writerwholovestellingstories.It’sactuallya shorteningofmynameGiselleRenéAngeline Walker.
Whatlifeexperiencesledyoutobeanartist?
I’vealwayslovedart.IthinkthatwhenIgot intocomicsandmangaitamplifiedmydesire tobeanartist,aswellasmyloveof storytelling.Overtimethatfocusshiftedto videogames,thenillustrationandeventually topainting.Ialwaystellthestoryofthefirst timeIsawthepainting‘TheBlackPrinceat Crecy‘byJulianStoryinamuseum.Itwasthe momentthatsolidifiedmyinterestinpainting andmyloveofmuseumspaces.Myloveof storytellinghasnotchangedthough,andIstill writeeveryday,intendingtoeventuallybea publishedauthor.
POISE|2021|48”X36”|OILONCANVAS| $2,210.00 BLINDED|2023|40”X22”|ACRYLICONCANVAS| $1,365.00
Youcomefromacreativefamily.Howhas thatimpactedorassistedyouonyour journey?
Itraisedmystandards,haha!Being surroundedbycreatives,especiallyonesthat functionatahighlevel,makesyoulookat yourownworkmorecritically.Itmeantthat everypaintingImadeforthisshowwas heavilyscrutinised(bymyself)beforeIwould giveitthepasstobefinished.AndeventhenI stilloftenwentbacktomakecorrections.I subscribetotheideathatnothingisever finished,youjustchoosewhentostop(or whenyou’vehadenough).
Howoldareyou?
Iturnedtwenty-sevenonthe20thofFebruary 2024.
Howdoestechnology,theinternet,social mediaandanexpansiveworldviewinform yourwork?
I’veincorporatedtechnologyintomy workflowthroughtheuseofphotographs, digitalpaintingetc.togetaconcreteideaof whatIwantapiecetolooklikebeforeIstart paintingthephysicalpiece.Beingexposedto somanythingsontheinternetthroughsocial media,issomewhatofadouble-edgedsword. ItmeansIalwayshavesomethingtowhichI comparemyself,butatthesametimeI’mable tohoneinonwhatmakesmyworkunique.
DoesAIfactorintotothedevelopmentof yourwork?
No,itdoesn’t.Ihavemixedfeelingsabout AI.Ononehanditcouldbeawonderfultool, butcurrentlyitisbuiltonthebacksofartists
whoarenotcompensatedforhavingtheir workusedtotraintheseprograms.So,froma moralstandpoint,Iavoidsuchprograms.
Howdoyoufeelaboutthedevelopmentof art,locallyandinternationally?
Iamoptimisticwiththewaythingsare headed,especiallywiththeinternetproviding moreavenuesforlocalartiststogettheirwork outtothepublicaswellastosell/receive commissions,withouthavingtorelysolelyon thelocalmarket.Istillthinkthereneedstobe moresupportputinplaceforlocalartists, however,thingsaretrendingintheright direction,albeitslowly.
Whatisyourprocess?
TheprocessIdeveloped,beginningwiththis exhibition,startswithphotography.Sometimes Imodelmyself,sometimesI'llhavefamilyor friendsmodelforme,andsometimesIscour througholdphotographsforpiecesIthink haveinterestingposes.TheonesthatIthink havethepotentialtobealteredinto somethingmorecompellingI’llthenopenin AdobePhotoshop.Ihaveadigitaltablet,a Cintiq,thatIuseforcommissionsand illustrationwork.UsingthatI’llpaintoverthe originalphotographuntilIlandonaconcept withwhichI’mhappy.Usually,I’lltakeittoa pointwhereit'snearlyfinishedonthe computerandthenI’lltransfertheoutline ontothecanvasusingaprojector.Icanthen usethesketchasaveryaccurateguidefor painting.Ofcourse,changesalwayshappen whileyou’reintheprocess,butIfindthatthis methodreallyhelpsmetocutdownonwasted time,aswellashelpsmakesurethatI’m satisfiedwiththeposingetc.andthatnothing feelstoostatic.
LADYINYELLOW|2022|72”X48”|OILONCANVAS|$5,460.00
CELESTIAL|2023|24”X18”|OILONCANVAS|$1,274.00
CONSUMED|2023|24”X18”|OILONCANVAS|$1,235
STARE|2022|18”X36”|OILONCANVAS|$1,560.00
BLUES|2024|22”X40”|ACRYLICONCANVAS|$1170.00
Youpaintinbothacrylicandoils?Doyou haveapreferenceandhowdoyouchoose whichmediumtoproduceaparticularpiecein?
Ipreferusingoilpaintduetothewayitblends andthewayIcangettheskintolookusingit, sinceImostlydoportraits.However,duetothe lengthoftimeittakesforoilpaintstodryI usuallyuseacrylicsifIhavelesstimetohavea piecefinished,oroccasionally,ifIhavea piecewithreallyvibrantcolours.Ifindthat acrylicsarebetterforthosebrightpaintings andoils(forme)tendtoturnoutsofter.
Yourpaletteisquitediverse.Doyouhavea favouritecolour?Smile.
Ithinkit’sbecausemybackgroundisin illustration,soIjusttrytofindwhatworksbest togetthestoryacross.Surprisingly,because thereisn’talotofitinthesepieces,my favouritecolourisgreen.
Whichinternationalartisthasinfluencedyou themost?
Ithinktwoartistswhoinfluencedmystylealot are,MalcolmLiepkeandJ.CLeyendecker.I don’tthinkIcanchoosebetweenthetwo,butif Ihadto,itwouldbeMalcolmLiepke.Thereisan elementtohisportraitsthatisloose,but extremelyexpressiveanditstickswithme.
Whichlocalartisthasinfluencedyouthemost?
Idon’tknowifit’sbeenadirectinfluencebut therecentworkofShaneEastmondandthe workofAriannaHolliganhavebeenextremely interestingtome.
Iknowyouarealsoawriter,doesnarrative alsofactorintoyourwork?
Always.I’malwaystryingtotellastory. EspeciallyforthesepiecesthatIreallygo
throughtheprocesswith.Ithastomakesense tomewhyI’mdoingsomething.Therehastobe somekindofnarrativethattheviewercan followthoughtoseewhyI’vechosenacertain objectormethodofobscuringsomething.Or whythey’reholdingsomething.It’sneverby accident,usuallytheonesthatarelessthought throughendupbeingthepiecesIliketheleast, andusually,theyendupbeingcut.
Doyoubelieveincreatingartists'statements aboutyourindividualpieces?Ifnooryes,why?
Iliketheideaofit,Icanrarelygetmyselfto doit.Butthereisalsoapartofmethatdoesn’t liketoexplainwhatI’mdoingindetail.Inmy mindthetitleofthepieceisthestartingline, andwherevertheviewerendsupfromthereis jjustasinterestingaswhatIintended.
Isthereanysymbologythatcanbereadacross thecollection?EgWhenweseeflowersisthere aparticularthoughtyouaretryingtoconvey?
ThroughoutthecollectionI’mtryingtoplay withtheideathattheface,whileimportant, cansometimesbeadistraction,andthatthere issomuchmoretoseeaboutapersonthan that.Evenintheinstanceswhereit’sflipped andtheeyesareshowninfavourofobscuring therestoftheface,thefocusisnothow photogenicthepersonis,butthewaythey're looking;theexpressionthatcantellyouso muchaboutwhatthey’rethinking.Iwantedto showthebeautyanddiversityofwomenwhile playingwithfantasyelementsandgettingdeep intotheideaofshapesandcolourlanguage. Forthemenoftheshow,theyare(mostly) surroundedbyflorals.Forme,itrepresentsthe ideaofsoftnesswithinmasculinityandnot presentingitasanegativething.Whenwesee
them,they’repeaceful.Theonlyexceptionto this(Ibelieve)isMeaCulpa.Thispieceplays withtheideaofsinandjudgementwiththe angelstandingoverhisshoulder,butitwas justasmuchtomeaboutpresentingtheblack maleinthesetypesofimageswheretheyare oftenabsent.Thistiesoverintothemore fantasticalimagesoftheshowthatdon’t featuremen.It’salwaysaboutshowingthat wecanexistinthesespaceswithouthavingto fallbackontheoften-seentropes.We’rejust asdeservingofthefantastic.
Whatistheinspirationfortheshow?
IthinkIgotintosomeofitabovebutitis aboutseeingthewholeandnotjustwhatis obscured.It’saboutdelvingdeeperand challengingyourselftoreadbeyondsurface levelforallthings.
Doestheworkreflectyourpersonal experiencesorisitfromobservation?Orisit bothormore?e.g.isresearchinvolved?
Mostoftheresearchcomesfromthe referencephotosItakebutinsomecasesI willgooutandbuyflowers,orballoonstoget amoreaccuraterepresentationofwhatitis II’mportraying.Someoftheworkisinfluenced byhowIwasfeelingatthetime.Someofthe heavierpiecessuchas‘Consumed’camefrom atimewhenIwasfeelingsuffocatedinmy ownlifeanditbledoverintomywork.
Howlonghaveyoubeenproducingthe piece s?
Thefirstpieceinthisseries(beforeIknewit wasgoingtobeaseries)wasproducedin 2021.AsIcontinuedtoexperimentwiththe newmethodofcreatingsketchesitbecame
apparentthatthiswassomethingIwantedto exploremore.
Youpaintbothmaleandfemalesubjects.Does yourworkexploreideasofsexualityand gender?Ifitdoeshowarethesethoughts expressedinthework?
Ibelieveitdoes,butI’vebeenabitmore explorativeonthemalesidethanthefemale sidetouchingonideasoftoxicmasculinityand theabilitytobesoft.Ithinkthereisalevelof confidenceandsurenessinwomenIpaint regardlessofwhattheyarewearing.Acomfort withtheirbodies,acomfort,intheirclothes,in thewaythey’represented.Theydon'tshyaway fromthelens.Itisinterestingtothinkaboutin writingbecauseIdon’tconsidermyselftobe that,soinsomewaysperhapsI’mpaintingwhat I’dliketobe.
Whatisyourfavouritepieceinthecollection ?
‘WhiteRoses’isoneofmyfavourites.Ithinkit capturesthatsoftnessIwasaimingforsowell. Afterthatperhaps‘TheGoddess’or“ADelicate Balance”.It’shardtochoose,Ithinkitchanges byday.
Whatwasyourmostchallengingpiece?
MeaCulpa
Why?
Theintentwasforthepiecetoresembleanold Renaissancereligiouspainting.Foralongtime, andIworkedonthisoneformonths,Icouldnot getthefeelingIwasgoingfor.Ieventually realisedthatitwasduetothecoloursIwas using,however,ittookgoingbacktomyart historydaysandreallythinkingaboutthetypes ofpaintstheyhadavailableatthetime,the typesofcolours,howtheyusedthem,etc.to getittowhereIneededittobe.
SUNFLOWERS|2024|30”X24”|ACRYLICONCANVAS| SOLD JOY|2024|24”X18”|ACRYLICONCANVAS|SOLD
ADELICATEBALANCE|2024|72”X48”|ACRYLICONCANVAS $5,850.00
WILDFLOWERS|2023|20”X20”|OILONCANVAS| SOLD
WHITEROSES|2023|20”X20”|OILONCANVAS| SOLD
FREEDOM
2024|36”X36”|ACRYLICONCANVAS
$1,950.00
2024|24”X25”|ACRYLICONCANVAS $845.00
YOUHAVEMYATTENTION
2024|24”X24”|ACRYLICONCANVAS
$845.00
THROUGHTHEREDVEIL
2024|24”X24”|ACRYLICONCANVAS SOLD
NATURE:INREVERENCE
|2023|36”X24”|ACRYLICONCANVAS SOLD
DEMURE|2024|30”X20”|ACRYLICONCANVAS $1,170.00
SHHH!|2024|18”X24”|ACRYLICONCANVAS| SOLD
STATUESQUE|2023|20”X16”|OILONCANVAS $780.00
Youworkatalldifferentsizes.Whatinforms yoursizeselection? It’safeeling,whichisareallybadanswer. UsuallywhenIsketchIhaveanideaofwhat IwantsoIsticktothestandardcanvasratios (2:3,4:5etc.).Whenit’stimetotransferthe pieceIchooseacanvassizebasedon impact.Isthisasubject/posethatneedsto golargetogivethefulleffectofwhatI‘m goingfor?ThesmallestIusuallypaintatis 16”x20”.Soifitdoesn’tneedtobelargeto gettheimpactI’llgoforthecanvassmaller size.Ifitneedsthespacetoreallybreathe, tohavetheviewerstepbacktotakeitin, thenIknowIneedtogolarger.Ifthesubject matterisalsofairlydetailed,Itendtogo larger.
Doessizematter?
Ithinkitcanchangethewaysomeone reactstothepainting.Butthattomeis influencedbythesubjectmatter.Themore impactfulIthinksomethingcanbethemore spaceIwanttogiveit.Thiscanbea problemthoughbecausemoving6ft paintingsisdifficult.
THEPROCESSFORTHECREATIONOFWORKFORTHISEXHIBITIONEXPERIENCEDJUSTASMUCHOFA METAMORPHOSISASTHEPAINTINGPROCESS.THISSECTIONEXPLORESTHECREATIONOFPIECESANDTHE EVOLUTIONOFTHATPROCESS
Findingwaystoincorporatephotography intomyprocesswastheinspirationforthe creationofallofthepaintingsdisplayed inthisexhibition.
ManyofthephotographsIstartedwith werefrommodelsessions,someprovided bytheBarbadosPhotographicSociety, andsomearrangedwithfriendsinthe timeleadinguptomythesisformy Bachelor’sprogram.
Theimagesontheleftaretheinitialphoto andfinalsketchforthepieceentitled ‘Blues’.
ThiswasoneofthefirstpiecesIcreatedin thisstyle.It’ssimplerinnature,focusing mostlyoncolour,shapesandposing.
Theadjustmentsaremuchsimpler,mostly inthefeetanddress.Butitstillholdsa specialplaceinmyheartasoneofthe piecesthathelpedtoinspirethisentire showcase.
OnceIbecamemorecomfortablewith theideaofworkingoverphotographsand begantodevelopavisualstyle,Ibegan takingself-portraitsmainlyforthepurpose ofcreatingsketchesforfuturework.
Theimagesontheleftaretheinitialphoto andfinalsketchforthepieceentitled ‘Stare’.ItwasaroundthistimewhereI becamemorecomfortablewithusingthe baseposes,butcreatingmoreelaborate ideasaroundthem.
Digitalbecameakeyaspectofmy conceptdevelopmentprocess.Most,if notall,ofthesketchesinthissectionwere paintedwithinPhotoshopusingasimilar processthatIuseformydigitalwork.In somecasesmultiplephotographsare usedtocapturetheideaofenvironments, flora,faunaetc.
