We catch up with Ele Pack
Inspired by colours and forms that she encounters in everyday life, Ele discusses her impetus in creating a truthful visual language that connects to something precious within herself, and how that can be felt through the eyes of the viewer.
Q: Hi Ele, last time we spoke you had just relocated to Derbyshire, how has your artistic practice developed since then?
A: In the two years since I moved to the Peak District I have genuinely found my work to be imbued with a new sense of openness, mirroring the surrounding landscape. It has given a wonderful new charge to my work. In addition, working from a home studio rather than a shared space has felt liberating.
As always, I continue to strive to create a truthful visual language, aiming to connect to something very precious within myself.
Q: You have published a new set of fine art prints with K&M, what’s the inspiration behind these works?
A: I wanted to create a series strongly connected to the season they were painted in, in this case, Summer. I’ve attempted to imbue the work with warmth and the scents of outdoor days. For a long time I’ve been obsessed with colour and the effect it can have upon the viewer, a subliminal visual language that can form strong emotional connections between the painter and its audience.
I love this quote from Oscar Wilde, which seemed to have bearing:
‘Mere colour, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways.’
Q: How do the ideas for your paintings develop, do you have a sketchbook practice?
A: I love to draw and sketch. My process is intuitive and organic, and often can defer from the original idea.
I do get visual prompts and ideas from the world around me, often from unexpected places. I once found an old book in a charity shop, which I bought specifically because the cover was a specific shade of beautiful deep coral which I later used in my work. Another time, on a transatlantic flight, I became obsessed with the lines formed by a person's hair curling around the seat back in front of me.
I don’t always know why I have responded to a shape, mark or colour.
But I trust my process, and know that invariably when I reflect later, I will see the significance and symbolism of the colours and marks I have made. I think of it as a mirror to my psyche.
Q: What do you have lined up for the rest of 2025?
A: In October I will be exhibiting at The Affordable Art Fair in Battersea. I’m also part of an exhibition at a gallery in the Netherlands from May onwards.
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