Today we’d like to introduce you to Ella Blackburn.
Hi Ella, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I am an artist based in Raleigh, NC, with a focus on sculpture and highly textural paintings using non-traditional materials. My artistic drive is to create things that I have never seen before and that I want to be surrounded by in my own environment. To date, most of my pieces have involved items of antiquity that have been consumed, encrusted, or encapsulated by natural elements having a subtle surreal quality, likely inspired by the antiques and rock specimens collected by my parents. I was formally trained at the University of South Carolina, earning a bachelor’s degree in studio art. But I did not become a practicing artist until 2021, after what was essentially a 16-year hiatus from all creative pursuits. As an art student, I never felt compelled by a specific medium or subject matter, and my interests seemed disjointed. I didn’t feel comfortable extending my art practice or attending graduate school without a clear direction. Instead, I chose the stability of a salaried non-studio position, and from there, my jobs became less and less art-related, eventually landing in Healthcare Policymaking and Tech. I enjoyed a challenging career with many successes despite being a right-brained person on a left-brained career path. Why I left my career of 16 years is a long story, but basically, I was making myself unwell by overworking in positions for which I felt under qualified. I didn’t leave specifically to become an artist, but leaving did give me the mental capacity to reconnect with myself and the time to explore my creative side.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
An ongoing struggle for me is social media. I am very shy in that realm for some reason, both personally and professionally. I hold my breath when I post. I agonize for hours over whether I should share an image. And I am still so surprised and excited when other people like it, too. This shyness is something I hope to overcome in the future. I also struggled for quite a while with the question, “What kind of art do you make.” When I returned to art, I felt just as unfocused as I felt in college, when my medium of choice would change weekly. Plus, I was unloading almost 20 years of suppressed creativity, so I couldn’t exactly trust that my artistic choices at the time would align with my actual style moving forward. I was using so many different materials, and none of my artwork was cohesive. I was determined not to force myself into a style; I wanted it to float to the surface through my natural preferences. It took 2 years. At that point I could finally see common characteristics in my artwork, and I was able to understand that my medium is not as important as the actual concept itself.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I create works of art driven by the desire to bring things to life that I have never seen before and want to have in my own environment. Many of my pieces involve man-made objects that have been overtaken by the elements and the perfect balance of humanity and nature that occurs during this process. I sometimes envision it belonging to a future or fantasy earth, where things may be slightly different than our current reality. I use mixed media with found objects and experimental materials like expanding foam insulation and crystal growing solution. Up to this point, the recurring themes in my artwork tend to be inspired by, or reminiscent of, items of antiquity, natural phenomenon, artifacts and specimens, and iconic works of art, decor, and objects. My long-time obsessions contribute to the aesthetic of my pieces. These include: the crisp edges of acrylic blocks, decadent coatings of any type, grimy patina, rock formations, black and white stripes, and everything malachite (I’ve been honing my malachite finish for 20 years). I began sharing my work on social media in 2021. Since then, my work has been selected by hotels, galleries, designers, photographers, curators, and individual collectors for their various projects and personal collections. At the time of this interview, my work can be seen at Gallery C in Raleigh, NC, Barony Collection in Norwalk, CT, and Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, SC. I am obsessed with my own artwork. It is exactly what I want it to be. I trust my instincts better when my target customer is me. But it is really exciting when someone else likes it too. It’s so amazing when the strange things we find fascinating are in sync. I don’t expect my art to appeal to everyone, but I do want it to be intriguing. I guess that’s my goal, for my work to be intriguing.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
It seems too early in my art career to pinpoint a single most important lesson. My days are full of lessons learned the hard way, many of them more than once, and I find myself stuck in the classic, self-defeating cycles: perfectionism, questioning my instincts, not reading warning labels, testing spray paint inside, etc. That’s just art life. Many mistakes and moments of insecurity are going to happen. I have to be patient and give myself permission to make mistakes. They are a necessary step toward mastery. Many of the self-defeating thoughts go away when I am patient with my mistakes.
Contact Info:
- Website: elladickersonblackburn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/by_blackburn/
Image credits
My portrait by Matt Ramey
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