Elton Pelser

Born in 1975 KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, I have always had an interest in visual concepts. Working as a graphic designer in the print and signage industry from the early 90s, I began developing a fascination with both image reproduction and photography. I was intrigued with the history and evolution of these processes, be it old-school woodcut printing techniques to Lithographic darkroom plate making, or from classic guilding on glass to digital sign imaging.

Fortunate to have experienced a few of these processes hands-on, it was only in 2016 that I decided to embrace art as a means of personal expression. Being a do-it-yourself kind of person, I could include some of these interests. I could still use photography and apply its rules; I could still incorporate layout and design; and I could still incorporate visual reproduction by way of methods used a long time ago.

As a fan of black and white photography, it was ultimately the Grisaille method of painting by the old masters that caught my attention. It was a methodical "Monotone" approach of reproducing a scene way back when.. before the advent of modern tech.

To acquire more exposure to this craft and to paint alongside like-minded people, it was from here that I atten...