ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
KENT ARTIST PROFILE :
ELLIOTT MASTERS
ELLIOT MASTERS HAS BEEN ON QUITE THE JOURNEY TO FIND WHO HE IS AS AN ARTIST . FROM FLEDGLING PORTRAIT PAINTER TO AN EXPERIMENTAL DIGITAL ARTIST , TO POP CULTURE ILLUSTRATOR EXTRAORDINAIRE , HE HAS WORN MANY HATS – LUCKILY THEY ALL FIT PERFECTLY . insideKENT MET ELLIOT TO FIND OUT WHERE HIS ONE-OF-A-KIND IDEAS COME FROM AND HOW HE CAPTURES THE ZEITGEIST OF THE 21ST CENTURY WITH SUCH PRECISION .
Your style of illustration is so unique , where do you draw your inspiration from ?
My inspiration comes from a lot of places really . Drawing over photos was something that happened a bit by accident whilst editing some photos from a trip to New York . So a lot of the inspiration in those comes from trying to make something fun out of ordinary things in a photo . The rest of my work is mostly inspired by my favourite films and tv shows .
Where did your style evolve from ?
I studied Fine Art at the University of Reading and was an aspiring portrait painter . I did some modules in typography and found a big inspiration in graphics from that . At Reading I shared a studio with my friend Phil and we used to sketch and doodle stuff from our conversations , these were usually better than the “ proper ” artwork I was meant to be doing . I ended up leaning into that quite a lot later on . I got into digital artwork quite early on and spent a lot of time learning my way through that .
You do a lot of work surrounding popular media . What is it about pop culture that fascinates you so much , and why do you think you connect to it the way you do ?
I think it comes from a love of cinema and comics , pop culture is such a big part of society . A bit like how the most famous paintings hundreds of years ago were of monarchs as they were a bigger focal point of society at the time . Mostly I just like to work with what I enjoy and if a film or tv show really grabs me or affects me then it makes me want to create something from that . During lockdown , like most people , I watched a lot of movies and used them as viewpoints for a series of landscapes as you couldn ’ t go anywhere ; I ’ d use a scene from Beetlejuice or Jurassic Park and work from that which was fun .
Tell us a little about the Kentish influences in your work .
I ’ m from a village near Dover , so it helps to work with what you know . Kent is a really interesting place , with loads of amazing scenery and having some inside knowledge makes it fun to work on pieces from here . You can make the work a bit more personal and add little inside jokes to a piece .
Who are your artistic heroes ?
Wes Anderson , his films are so meticulous and rich with visual language and subtle humour . The colours you find in his work are incredible and all the small details being as , if not more , important than the main focus point . Dutch artist Lois Van Baarle , she just creates the most amazing characters with lots of depth and emotion . Olly Moss , for his way of seeing and problem solving to get a creative outcome without becoming repetitive is so impressive .
Where can we see your work ?
You can find me on Instagram : @ ell85design , or on my website : ell85 . co . uk . I also have an upcoming collaboration with clothing brand Hobo Jack and my Folkestone Harbour Arm artwork design is available as a shirt from The Quarter Masters in Folkestone .
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