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Artist Ellie Contreras

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Another smaller ‘Rose fingered dawn’ painting,

Another smaller ‘Rose fingered dawn’ painting, this time she is revealing her rose-red hands, ta-daaa!
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Oil on canvas 10”
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#figurative #art #contemporaryart #figurativeart #painting #drawing #artist #artwork #fineart #oilpainting #portrait #figurativepainting #artgallery #modernart #contemporarypainting #artcollector #arte #instaart #gallery #illustration #contemporary #artistsoninstagram #contemporaryartist #kunst #picassoinspired #rosefingereddawn #mythology #greekmythology

When Rosy-Fingered dawn came bright and early. Oil

When Rosy-Fingered dawn came bright and early. Oil on canvas 70cm.
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One of my favourite things about the Odyssey is the repeated epithet of rosy-fingered dawn. It has a reassuring effect. Whatever madness happened the day before, the goddess of dawn would always arrive and bring in a new day, always early and always with rosy fingers!
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I imagined her being immensely proud of her job to bring in the new day and sprinkling the world with dew.
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I wanted this to be a joyful painting to represent a fresh start after the darkness of covid and lockdown.
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#mythology #greekmythology #rosyfingereddawn #figurativeart #figurativepainting #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #contemporaryfigurativeart #picasso #picassoinspired #oilpainting #modernart #theodyssey

Sketch for a new painting #rosyfingereddawn . #sk

Sketch for a new painting #rosyfingereddawn
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#sketch #sketchbook #sketching #drawing #contemporaryartist #figurativeart #figuredrawing #contemporaryfigurativeart

‘There’s Rue for you, and here’s some for me

‘There’s Rue for you, and here’s some for me’ 70cm2 oil on deep canvas.

If you know your Shakespeare you will recognise this as a line from Hamlet when Ophelia in her madness sings bawdy songs and hands out symbolic flowers.

I have depicted her gathering her flowers, carefully choosing the ones that would communicate what she has been unable to say because of her position and gender. It is a fascinating scene and not at all clear as to Shakespeare’s meaning, it would have made more sense to Elizabethans who were well versed in symbolism. The Rue is a symbol of regret (as in to Rue the day...) but since it was used at that time for its abortive effects is she also commenting on the powerlessness of women and the danger of becoming an object of desire?

Charcoal sketch prep for new painting. Hope you al

Charcoal sketch prep for new painting. Hope you all have a nice weekend x
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#sketch #charcoaldrawing #charcoalsketch #sketching #sketchbook #sketchbookpage #contemporaryfigurativeart

Pachamama 70cm x70cm oil on canvas. . I’ve been

Pachamama 70cm x70cm oil on canvas.
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I’ve been meaning to do something on Pachamama since going to Peru 6 years ago. My husband is Peruvian and grew up there so it’s a special place for our family. Pachamama is an Inca god and is Quechuan for Mother Earth. She is a fertility goddess and embodies the mountains. I depicted her in quite an abstract way as if she were a mountain range protecting her son/husband (ew!) Inti the sun. She is a benevolent goddess but can cause earthquakes. I imagined her crying over the damage we are doing to the earth and causing rivers and waterfalls. Let me know what you think x
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#pachamama #peru #incas #cubistart #abstractfigurative #abstractfigurativepainting #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #modernart #femaleartist

Artemis and Actaeon, oil on canvas 1m2. You may ha

Artemis and Actaeon, oil on canvas 1m2. You may have seen this before but I’ve been tinkering with it, the colours have changed a lot. Second photo with my face for scale and for a laugh. I think this is my favourite painting from the awful year that was 2020.
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#figurativeart #figurativepainting #mythology #mythologyart #artemis #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #contemporaryfigurative #contemporaryfigurativeart #contemporaryfigurativeart

Hi everyone, I’ve been really quiet on here late

Hi everyone, I’ve been really quiet on here lately, this past year is really taking a toll on my creativity and I’ve been struggling to get my mojo back. But I did this charcoal sketch today and I feel really good about it. It’s a pregnant woman although it could be my belly at the end of this lockdown!
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#charcoaldrawing #figurativeart #cubism #sketch #artistsoninstagram

I just received my original drawing by one of my f

I just received my original drawing by one of my favourite contemporary artist @melissa.kime . I bought it as part of @artistsupportpledge . It’s called ‘Mother and child with Avebury sheep’ I love it thank you Melissa, I can’t wait to get it framed and see it on the wall.
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I first saw Melissas work at the RA summer exhibition and London art fair a couple of years ago and I’ve been a fan ever since. Her work is inspired by folklore, literature and ancient rituals and beliefs. I was so struck by how raw and visceral her paintings were. It is so refreshing to see female artists reclaiming the traditional representation of the female nude in art. The women in Melissa’s work are not passive and sexualised but evoke the female experience of nurturing, suffering, femininity and strength and speaks of a shared universal sisterhood.
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#femaleartists #contemporaryart #womensupportingwomen #womenartists #figurativeart #contemporaryfigurativeart #melissakime #charcoaldrawing

“Dionysus and the Maenads” 80 x 80cm. Oil on c

“Dionysus and the Maenads” 80 x 80cm. Oil on canvas. I am entering this for #delphianopencall @delphiangallery

I just realised that on Saturday it had been seven years since I quit drinking, best thing I ever did! Here is a painting I did of Dionysus (Bacchus) god of wine and the Maenads his female followers who definitely had a drinking problem but couldn’t break free from the lure of Dionysus.
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I know there are so many people suffering with addiction on their own during lockdown. Please don’t feel ashamed and ask for help, there is help available even in lockdown.
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#soberlife #soberliving #addictionrecovery #contemporarypainting #contemporaryart #contemporarybritishpainting #figurativeart #figurativepainting #contemporaryfigurativeart #contemporaryfigurativepainting

Self portrait in charcoal . #charcoaldrawing #cha

Self portrait in charcoal
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#charcoaldrawing #charcoalsketch #portraitdrawing #portraitdrawingstudy

In the studio today, I feel very fortunate to have

In the studio today, I feel very fortunate to have this space of my own where I can escape into my imagination.
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#artiststudio #artiststudios #artistinlockdown #contemporarybritishpainting #contemporaryart

Demeter and Persephone, oil on canvas 70cm #delphi

Demeter and Persephone, oil on canvas 70cm
#delphianopencall @delphiangallery
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Calling this one finished today, I’ve been working on it on and off since Christmas, it’s been a struggle! Persephone was the daughter of the goddess of harvest and fertility, Demeter. Demeter was very protective of her daughter but one day when Persephone was entranced by a beautiful narcissus flower she was abducted by Hades. She subsequently became queen of the underworld but got to spend half the year above ground with her mother causing the seasons.
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In my painting I am focusing on how young women are attracted to glamour and excitement and older women (like me) get satisfaction from more grounded things. It is about a mother’s anxiety to let go of the child you have nurtured, knowing that there are dangers and influences you can’t control. The painting has a lot of symbolism along this theme. I have been looking at a lot of Picasso lately and i’m currently obsessed with his Neo Classical period, I think you can see that influence in the painting. Thanks Picasso.
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#contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #neoclassicism #persephone #demeter #figurativeart #contemporarypainting #modernfigurativeart #womenartists #oilpainting #figurativepainting

I took part in sky portrait artist of the week yes

I took part in sky portrait artist of the week yesterday. This week DJ Nihal Arthanayake @therealnihal who sat for a four hour live zoom sitting. I joined late so did the first two hours in the live sitting and two hours today from a screen shot. Four hours isn’t very long so it is a little rough but I don’t mind that, I think it adds energy. It was a good challenge to push me out of my comfort zone i’m going to give it a go next Sunday. Oil on canvas panel 20cm.
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#mypaotw #portraitpainting #skyportraitartistoftheyear #portraitartistoftheweek

I’m getting back to work on my mythology collect

I’m getting back to work on my mythology collection here is Dionysus 30cm x 30cm oil on canvas.
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#dionysus #mythology #figurativeart #contemporaryart #contemporaryfigurativeart

I was planning on going camping in Cornwall before

I was planning on going camping in Cornwall before the end of the summer but all the campsites are fully booked so I had to go there in my imagination instead. Here’s a little painting of me doing some imaginary crabbing in an imaginary harbour village in Cornwall. What’s real anymore anyway!
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#illustration #figurativeart #illustrativeart #cornwall #cornwallpainting #cornwallart

Today I visited the Musée d’Orsay in a very ho

Today I visited the Musée d’Orsay in a very hot Paris! Swipe for my highlights. A really wonderful Picasso I have never seen before called ‘La Buveuse d’absinthe’. Some gems from my favourite trailblazer post impressionists, Bonnard, Gauguin and Cézanne plus I learnt more about ‘Les Nabis’ a group of post-impressionist French painters inspired by Gauguin, Cézanne and Japanese art. I especially liked Edouard Vuillard
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#paris #museedorsay #parisfrance #parisart #gauguin #picasso #cezanne #bonnard #edouardvuillard

I finished this one off today. First in a new seri

I finished this one off today. First in a new series of paintings for @paradise_boutique_surrey this one is 20 x 20 cm on deep edge box canvas oil on canvas with ‘Love’ and edges gilded in gold leaf, just needs to be varnished once dry. This one has a vintage Victorian feel to it.
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#art #arte #gildedart #gildedpaintings #oilpaintings #flowerart #paintingsofflowers #roseart #interiorart #wallart #wallartdecor #interiorstyling #surreyart #vintageart #vintagestyle

I was just about to post to say that this oil and

I was just about to post to say that this oil and silver leaf painting is now available @paradise_boutique_surrey but just found out it’s been sold already, yay! There are two other paintings still available.
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#surreyart #surreyartist #eastmolesey #originalart #gildedart #floralpainting #interiordesign #homedecor #wallart #birdpainting

I did this little sketch this morning, Pandora’s

I did this little sketch this morning, Pandora’s opening the box releasing the Nosoi (often depicted in a plague mask) who is scattering Covid-19. In mythology, hope is trapped inside the box but I wanted to make it look like she might get out if she catches Pandora’s attention who is currently too distracted by the pandemic to notice her, I will leave further interpretation to you ...
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#inkdrawing #sketchbook #sundaysketches #sundaysketching #covid19 #pandorasbox #mythology #drawingjustforfun

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