Artist Statement

Elysia Merrett’s main source of inspiration comes from nature, from its atmosphere and peace and tranquillity to its glorious colours and complex shapes. These carry through into her work both in terms of visuals and moods. She seeks only to celebrate nature and discover its beauty in her own work.

Her most recent series, “Sakura,” explores the beauty within nature, while drawing inspiration from the physical and spiritual beauty of blossom trees. Sakura (the Japanese name for cherry blossoms) are believed to embody the very essence of life with their deep connection with both birth and death, it is with this in mind that she approached this series of paintings. The beauty of the blossoms, and of nature, are represented in washes of transparent earthly tones that float across the canvas in a gentle and tranquil rhythm.

Her previous series “Alchemic” was more vivacious in its celebration of abstract form, mixing delicate, intensely intricate shapes with washes of bold flat colour. Circles, a primary shape found in every base aspect of nature, were used as a foil by which to decorate, adorn and enhance the image creating areas of high interest. Contrast, too, played an important role where the delicate shades of colour met the intensity of the black forms. Within this series she used an extensive variety of both natural and synthetic materials to create diverse backgrounds full of intricately layered details.

Furthermore Elysia has undertaken work deeply inspired by others cultures - most notably Japan. The “Harajuku” series, named after the fashion that formed a vital component of its inspiration, varies from previous works by incorporating the use of figurative forms. It celebrates not only beauty within the female form but also the vibrancy of fashion and adornment, all the while drawing inspiration from the Japanese culture. Working digitally in this series gave her the opportunity and the means by which to create images that were beautiful in their subtlety and detail of design. She was able to approach the visual style in a completely different way, allowing her to experiment with new colour ranges, patterns, styles and techniques.