Elly Smallwood Interview
Elly Smallwood is a painter that I have been following for a short while now, but even in that short time, I have learned so much! I first came across Elly a few years ago after seeing a picture of her in her studio surrounded by all her artwork. After seeing the same picture again a while ago. I became really interested in these sometimes massive pieces and that made me want to find out more about the art and the lady behind it.
I am so grateful to be able to talk to Elly about her art, inspiration and to learn from her as painting is something I am pursuing myself.
Nadine: How would you describe your work and what do you want viewers/buyers to take away from it?
Elly: I don't usually describe my work (even to myself), beyond the materials used to create it. I've never been able to find the words to describe what I'm trying to capture in each piece. I think one of my favourite things about art is that it's able to evoke emotions and feelings that we don't have words for; something a little bit more instinctual and visceral.
N: How did you get into art and more specifically, portraiture? Is it something you always wanted to do? Did you come from a creative family?
E: I've always loved creating things, whether it was art or crafts or growing things, so that's always been a huge part of my life. And even as a child, my favourite subject matter was always people, there's something endlessly fascinating about them and I've never once gotten bored with that subject matter. I didn't start making art with any regularity until I went to art school at 17 though. My parents aren’t very artistic at all, but my little sister is also an artist, so I guess there's something in my family!
N: Do you have any hobbies outside of art?
E: I do Muay Thai and boxing, those usually take up most of my free time. The contrast between the physicality of fighting and the emotional intensity of painting is perfect. One exhausts my mind and the other exhausts my body. Other than that it's mostly just growing things! Just hundreds and hundreds of plants slowly taking over my life.
N: Walk us through a day in the life of Elly.
E: Usually emails first thing, as I like to get them out of the way; then photographing and editing any new pieces to send to collectors and/or post on social media. So I'm usually able to start painting by 9am. A break at lunch time for more emails, then back to painting, or packing and shipping if it's a shipping day. The evening would usually be Muay Thai, but in the pandemic it's been hikes. Then dinner while I do more emails and back to painting! Around 11pm I'm usually too tired to paint so I switch to editing tutorial videos for my patreon. If I have a new painting idea that I'm really excited about though I'll usually have the energy to keep painting for at least another few hours.
N: What are your favourite and go-to art tools and mediums?
E: I'm pretty simple when it comes to supplies, I only use the primaries, so I use primary yellow, cadmium red, phthalo blue and titanium white in either oil or acrylic. I work on either canvas or canvas paper, and I like to make my own canvases if they're larger than a couple feet.
N: Do you think it's important to go to art school? What was your experience in your own studies? How can one teach themselves the basics of drawing/painting?
E: I definitely don't think it's necessary, but it's probably easier if you do. One of the biggest benefits was getting into the habit of working on art everyday. It's pretty hard to have a career as an artist if you aren't able to work on art every day, but that really is just a matter of practice. The other big benefit was getting to know other artists in the city. The artists I met at school were the people who invited me to participate in my first exhibitions, and i got studio spaces with them. I think you can definitely get these things without art school, but it means you need to be able to take the initiative and put yourself and your art out there. Social media definitely makes that a lot easier. In terms of technical skills I didn't learn a ton from classes, it was more from having the opportunity to practice so much. So if you're able to put in the time to learn and practice and make connections on your own then you really don't need art school. Online tutorials and anatomy/drawing books are always helpful too!
N: Are there moments where it's hard to create and if so, how do you push through?
E: Absolutely, but I think with time and practice you're able to get into the habit of just painting all the time, whether or not you're in the mood, whether or not it's going well, even when you don't feel like it. There are lots of days when I'm exhausted or sick or just mentally not in a place where I feel able to work, but you just work anyway. And it often doesn't work out, but you throw that piece out and start another one, and just keep doing that until one of them works. It can be incredibly depressing, feeling like you're constantly failing, but there really isn't any option other than just failing so many times that eventually one of them has to not fail.
N: What tips can you give to aspiring artists?
E: Don't get discouraged when your art isn't working out! It's probably never going to feel like it is working out (certainly hasn't yet for me), but every time you make art, even if it's the worst sketch you've ever done, you're improving. You can't see your improvement until you look back and see how far you've come; see that you're able to create things that you never would have been able to imagine yourself creating. Artists are incredibly self critical, but let that push you to keep evolving as an artist, rather than holding you back. Also if you want to do art as a business then you can either go the gallery route, or the entrepreneur route, and if you're going to do it as your own business then start reading up on tips for small business owners! I really recommend the book Art/Work, it has tons of advice for artists on how to work as an artist (invoicing, galleries, studios etc).
Thank you so much Elly!
Visit: www.elly.ca/