Illustrator and printmaker Ellen van der Velden graduated from the art academy in Breda, The Nederlands, before she went on to become a freelance illustrator for publishers.
Ellen’s children have played a vital role in the development of her printmaking practice. Her designs began as birth announcements and children’s wallpaper, but as her children got older she felt herself distancing from this focus, and instead wanted to investigate her own interests.
“I am not someone who spends all day in my studio. Through the windows of my workspace I look at a huge garden in which I can often be found. I have a number of bee colonies and I love to sit with them with a cup of coffee and just do nothing for a while” describes the printmaker. It is during these times, and by taking a step back, that Ellen witnesses the most fascinating things and comes up with her ideas. The bee colonies, vegetable garden, and all the plants and animals that spontaneously settle in her garden are a great source of her inspiration.
Her fascination with nature is clearly reflected in Ellen’s drawings. From the complex anatomy of a honey bee, to the beautiful sculpture-like shape of a piece of bark, she illustrates her fascination with the incredible adaptations of evolution, as well as the relationship between man and nature.
Ellen primarily practices screen printing and linocut; “I really enjoy printing my own work… from beginning to end I have everything in my own hands and that feels good“. After experimenting with printmaking, Ellen has now developed an awareness, and knows exactly which paper and ink she likes to use. Therefore she can reproduce her work in the most sustainable way possible, whilst maintaining its authenticity. “The feeling of a hand-printed print is very different from a digital one, the colours are so much brighter more vivid” explains Ellen.
She learnt how to screen print when visiting a graphic studio on a weekly basis, but due to the current pandamic Ellen has started to work from her home studio. At the beginning, she was predominantly practising linocut as it was easily accessible from home. Slowly purchasing more materials to add to her printmaking tools, Ellen can now also make her own screen prints at home, and her studio is gradually becoming a graphic studio workspace. This time has taught her that she wants to work less digitally with the computer, and instead with her hands, providing motivation to seek out what makes her happy.
www.ellenvandervelden.com
@ellenvdvelden
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