Artist Spotlight - Elle-Louise Burguez

Our latest collection Still Life has been bought to life with artist Elle-Louise Burguez. Elle is inspired by life, food, music and travel, a talented artist and musician she's recently made home in the Hinterlands of Northern New South Wales. Read on as we get to know Elle and how she expresses her life via art.

"I like to capture a certain mood in my work. That beautiful sense of feeling calm yet at the same time excited and optimistic for what lays ahead.
Usually, this is synonymous with being on holiday, luxuriating in the sun and feeling vibrant and colourful with friends and loved ones."

What are your earliest memories of creating art?

Sitting on my mum’s office floor and drawing for hours. Playing in the garden and making things for the fairies out of nasturtium leaves, weeds and flowers.

Can you share your process with us?

I usually work spontaneously with a few ideas in my mind or jotted down in my notebook. Just like when I create music, I tend to improvise when painting and let it evolve as I go.
I want to do some larger scale works soon, though and try out planning my work.
I love to work on a couple of medium-sized paintings at a time so that I use similar colours within each and complement each other.

What themes and concepts drift into your work?

Holidays, Persian art, European summers, Italian feasts, naivety, romance, love, solitude, sharing, gentleness, as sense of calm, flowers and fruits.

How do your personal experiences influence your work, if at all?

I usually come home and paint a series inspired by what I saw or did overseas when I travel. I may eat home-made pasta at a friend’s house and paint it the next day. I may watch a beautiful French film and be inspired by certain colours and objects I see in the mis-en-scene. It is usually more subconscious than conscious, but sometimes I research ancient vessels from Egypt, India, and Persia to draw inspiration from.

I like to capture a certain mood in my work. That beautiful sense of feeling calm yet at the same time excited and optimistic for what lays ahead. Usually, this is synonymous with being on holiday, luxuriating in the sun and feeling vibrant and colourful with friends and loved ones.

I think I am also trying to tap into my authentic self at all times and my inner child. To try and create what feels good and most honest for me.

You don’t just paint; you’re also a musician. Does one practice influence the other?

Certainly, yes. When I write music, I am visualising scenes just like in my paintings. I sometimes name my artwork after a song I have written as well. They go hand in hand. I feel that my songs could be playing in the background of the scenes I create.

Tell us about your workspace.

At the moment I work in the bungalow of my parent’s place as it is nice and spacious with beautiful light. I really want to finally rent my own studio space, though, to make it my own and work every day.

What is a typical day in the studio like for you?

The best days include swimming in the ocean and having breakfast. I will make sure my space is cleaned and incense is burning. I will then set up either paper or canvas to paint on. I will firstly prep a couple of backgrounds because that is the most tedious part. After this, I will choose a podcast or album to listen to throughout the day, look at some of my saved inspiration (usually ancient art), and begin painting.

When I am in the studio, I usually work for around 5-10 hours. I don’t stop once I begin because I love it so much.

What materials do you employ when creating your paintings?

I have been using beautiful archival paper to paint on or canvas. I then use acrylic paints and paintbrushes from Bunnings! I want to get back into using oil paints eventually.

Are there any artists or designers you appreciate for their originality, designs and thinking?

There are too many to name, but the current ones would be: Picasso, Matisse, Gaugin, ancient (Greek, Persian, Indian and Egyptian) artists, Monet, jean Cocteau, Jane Birkin, Maison Cleo, Romualda, Jacquemus, Ciao Lucia, etc.

What are you working on now?

A music video for my next release and a new series of paintings.

What, when or who inspires you to create?

Inspiration and creative energy come to me at random times.

I usually feel it after a rest or after a holiday.

My mind also is full of ideas at night-time, and I usually forget to write them down.

I guess there is something in my soul that wants to create as it feels very natural to me and feels like my calling in life. Whether it be through art, music, clay, writing, or whatever I am creating at the time... it just feels right. I also think I am a sensitive person, full of empathy and love. I sometimes find it hard to express myself, and it flows best through the form of art.

Connect and follow Elle:
instagram.com/elle__musa
elleburguez.com
Follow Elle on Spotify

Nancybird is based on the banks of the Merri Creek, on the stolen lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, whom we acknowledge as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work, recognising their continuing connection to land, waters, and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present, and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples today and every day.