E-L Cartwright

Art is a place I can be free from the constraints of everyday life and enter a world of the imagination. Dreams and the subconscious provide a deep well of ideas, with the subjects of time, childhood, nature and mortality echoing throughout my work.

Over the years, there have been several different thematic periods to my output, with a variety of media chosen according to my aims and interests at that time. In Vincent Dreams of Sunflowers, for instance, I favoured the delicacy of pen and watercolour to create detailed imagery rich in symbolism.

By contrast, in a recent series of oil pastel and acrylic paintings, I employed bold colours and deliberate clean lines to convey meaning through shape and form. The hawk-like figure that occurs early on in my work reappears again, as do several familiar motifs including eyes and masks, reflecting my fascination with the seen and unseen.

Of late – and with the discovery that my great-grandfather was a lithographic artist – I have become increasingly drawn to the process of printmaking. Preferring the starkly unadorned images achievable through relief printing techniques, I have expanded my portfolio to include a number of original linocuts.

An admirer of visionary artist William Blak...

BA Hons English Literature and Language (First) University of Hull, Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Theatre Studies.
Diploma in Independent Advocacy.

2001: Solo exhibition, including "The Illustrated Rose Poems". Venue: Middleton Hall, Warwickshire.
2015: "Gardens" exhibition. Venue: Gabriel Fine Art, London.
2016: "All Religions are One" exhibition, inspired by the works of William Blake. Venue: Gabriel Fine Art, London.
2023: "Spirit of Fire" group exhibition. Venue: St Michael and All Angels Church, Leominster, 27th May – 11th June.
Reviewed in the Church Times (https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2023/26-may/books-arts/visual-arts/art-review-spirit-of-fire-pentecost-exhibition-kingsland-herefordshire) and The Tablet (https://www.thetablet.co.uk/arts/11/23190/all-ablaze-on-a-welsh-hillside). Catch my powerful, geometric interpretation of "Pentecost" in person or on Instagram @elcartwright2015.