Miss Elvy’s Cabinet of Curiosities

My life and my work is all about being connected with the natural world.  Through the use of colour, texture and natural motifs I explore atmosphere, mood and symbolism in acrylic and mixed media.  My work seeks to connect me in the making, and the audience in the viewing, to a past when it would have been common place to read and celebrate nature.   As an artist I want to bring attention back to the attachment we have with certain animals or the relationship we have with  the landscape, or our innate need to respect the changing weather and seasons and to our reliance upon plants, flowers and trees.

Massive changes in modern culture mean that we now need to make conscious decisions to live seasonally and let nature lead.  So, is some wisdom in danger of being lost?  I look to folklore for answers and inspiration.  In it I find the beauty, the bounty, the wonder and the yearning to understand our natural world that we too frequently lack the time to explore, in our fast moving, stressed-out culture. 
           
I comfortably mix materials, styles, art and craft and even cultures in a desire to best represent the subject that I want to connect with.  Much of traditional art history misrepresents objects or images as art when they would have been much more than this in their original context.  Folk art in any culture can have a decorative purpose but is more likely to have had time, resources and energy put into it because of some deep connection to the beliefs and understanding about life and nature.   I am constantly fascinated by folk art, folklore and folktales from across the world not out of tokenism but because this often holds the evidence of our connections to each other even when literal or geographic connection was impossible.  In my work and research I am always comforted by the commonality of many beliefs and practices across cultures, when it comes to our collective connection with the natural world.

My work is shamelessly eclectic and draws heavily on early museum collection for inspiration.  This perfectly contextualises the notions of times past, creatures forgotten and the ethnography of different times and cultures.  I am fascinated by the earliest museums that were known as cabinets of curiosity held by the wealthiest of collectors. Whole rooms filled with fascinating objects ranging from paintings, drawings, books, natural objects, taxidermy, ethnographic finds from around the globe, pottery, metal objects, folk curiosities and medical instruments and anomalies preserved in jars.  From origins in the 17th century a Victorian revival brought us even more fascination with collecting and categorising and with it a penchant for the strange and unusual and often humorous.

So welcome to my Cabinet of Curiosities, where there is something for everyone to delight in.

I am available for commissions and enjoy painting for illustration and design often in partnership with my teacher/designer husband.  If you are interested in commissioning web and print projects find beetroot media on the links page.

I welcome visits to my studio to discuss or view work, please contact me to arrange a visit. 

Keep an eye out for workshops at the studio aimed at all ages and abilities.

Click on the Bucca Gwidden page for community theatre opportunities.

Workshops

• Can you link workshops to support the National Curriculum?
  I have a degree in the history of art and design and so it is important to me that all art and theatre projects are delivered within a differentiated cultural and historical context.  This is something that can be very useful to schools in fulfilling elements of the curriculum or coursework requirements, tell me what you are working on and make sure you get the most out of me!
  
  
• What experience do you have?
  Lots! I am a qualified teacher of art and drama, a practicing artist and have been working in thecommunity as an artist for many years. I have been working in the arts and education for 15 years. I have experience of a huge variety of venues and audiences in formal educational and informal community settings.
  
  
• What size groups can you work with?
  I can work with fairly large groups and am used to the average class size of about 30- obviously space is a consideration and for large making projects it is sometimes easier to use outdoor space or a large open space like the school or village hall, rather than a classroom.
  
  
• Do you travel?
  I am a mobile practitioner and will happily come and work in your venue. There may need to an extra charge for long distances.
  
  
• Who can you work with?
  I am a fully inclusive practitioner and can easily plan differentiated work for individuals if given all the details of their needs in advance. I am happy to work with any age group and ability and have experience of pre-school children to adults, groups with specific needs and family groups.
  
  
• How can we plan our project with you?
  Most communication for the average project can easily be done by phone and email however if you are planning a workshop or project that is more than a couple of days in duration it is probably best for me to meet with you to discuss your plans fully and visit your site.
  
  
• What will it cost?
  My rates are a straight forward £180 per day or £90 for half a day, plus materials.  Shorter workshop rates are available but they are still charged at £90, plus materials.
  
  
• Do you use "Green" materials?
  Wherever possible the materials that I use are recycled, reused and sustainable, most paper and card is 100% recycled and many of my materials are either natural or sourced from the Cornwall scrap store.. 
  
  
• Do we need to provide tools or equipment?
  Tools are usually provided within my rates unless I need to source specific new tools for your project and in this case I would discuss this with you in advance.
  
  
• What about the legal stuff?
  I have a recent CRB disclosure and am fully insured, I also am an experienced qualified teacher of art and drama, and have extensive experience of community arts projects and informal learning, so you can book me with confidence; your project will be a success!