Caroline Marg Elliott Greater London, United Kingdom
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I am an artist working with painting and photography. My focus is to explore patterns and shapes in the natural world which emerge through movement, repetition, and chance. A starting point might be movement of leaves in the wind, chance outlines of branches, fleeting shadows, or patterns in the light. We respond to these phenomena in an emotional way, and this is what I am really exploring.

My photographs of trees, woodland, and other natural features, are taken at night, and show restlessness, movement and flux. They are lit either by street lights, or moving artificial lights, under a long exposure time. I welcome the role of chance, accidents and imperfection. I am interested in the sense of disorientation, strangeness, beauty and pathos, created by the wind moving branches, or by lights moving as the photograph takes place.

My paintings are made using leaves as stencils, and they often incorporate spray paint or crayon areas to increase the sense of depth, or disorientating space and layers. Sometimes I think of my paintings and photographs as separate areas of work, and at other times I am building up connections. Further ideas which I am interested in include:

Movement and change: The philosophy of Heraclitus has been summarized as “everything is in a state of coming into being, and dissolving into nothingness. The only absolutes are strife, motion and change” . The idea that matter is constantly changing through destruction, disruption, rebuilding, renewal, accumulation, and that every state is only temporary, and transient, is an important idea underpinning my work. My paintings are composed of many layers built up over time, each one changing the layers below, while earlier layers are often visible, but partially obscured. My photographs often show restlessness, movement in nature.

Chance: I welcome the role of chance, accidents and imperfection in my paintings and photographs. Generally my work is not specifically planned or composed, but it evolves and happens in ways which I could not foresee. I am interested in the long tradition of artists using chance, and allowing imperfection in their work, including the 19th century blot paintings of Alexander Cozens, Fluxus, John Cage, automatic drawing, the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, and others. It is also interesting that accidents occur by chance in nature too, such as in the corruption of DNA.

Repetition: Repetition is fundamental to the natural world. We see repetition in our daily routines, life cycles, circadian rhythms. Repeated forms are found everywhere in nature, such as cells, seeds, stones, leaves, molecules, or particles which occur billions of times over. Repetition is also found in the inner world of thoughts, memories, and ideas. These ideas underpin my fascination with repeated natural forms.

Artwork

Shadow, 2022

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The stars arose, 2023

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Thicket, 2022

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Midnight, 2023

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Headlight, 2022

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Summer, oil and spray paint on canvas, 2022

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Ringstead Downs, photography, 2019

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Mallows Green III, photography, 2019

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Urban Trees XVII, photography, 2019

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Pines II, photography, 2019

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Willows VIII, photography, 2019

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Epping Forest I, photography, 2019, £150

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For sale

Woodland II, photography, 2019

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Willows II, photography, 2019

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Red flux I, oil and wax on canvas, 2016, £800

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For sale

Untitled (2019:3), oil and acrylic on canvas, 2019, £600

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For sale

Untitled (2018:5), oil on canvas, 2018, £1500

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For sale

Untitled (2018:8), oil and spray paint on canvas, 2018, £900

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For sale

Untitled (2019:2A), oil on canvas, 2019, £1200

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For sale

Projects and exhibitions

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Spring Show 2024

15/03/2024 — ongoing

A group exhibition selected from an open call

AKA Contemporary, Cambridge Details

EmpowerHER

14/03/2024 — ongoing

This is a group exhibition organised for International Women's Day. The catalogue can be seen here: CasildArt Brochure - EmpowerHER (canva.com). Casildart have launched a new gallery space at 32 Connaught Street, W2. It runs from 14th March - 31st March 2024.

CasildART, London Details

Silence

09/03/2024 — ongoing

An online and physical photography exhibition on the theme of "Silence". The exhibition was curated from international entries to an open call The online exhibition is available here: https://www.ph21gallery.com/silence-24

PH21 Gallery, Budapest Details

Through the Looking Glass, Swanfall Art

28/08/2023 — 02/09/2023

Group exhibition selected from an open call

Mall Galleries, London Details

Botany

12/07/2023 — 12/08/2023

Selected group exhibition on the theme of plants

Fronteer Gallery, Sheffield Details

Abacus (digital exhibition)

16/06/2023 — 29/06/2023

International selected online exhibition in response to an open call

Fresh Salad Gallery Details

Botanical

12/05/2023 — 20/05/2023

Selected open printmaking exhibition in response to an open call

44AD Gallery, Bath Details

Ferens Open Exhibition

15/02/2020 — 26/04/2020

Selected open call

Ferens Gallery, Hull Details

Winter Group Exhibition

16/12/2019 — 31/12/2019

I exhibited some recent photographs of trees at night

Avivson Gallery, Highgate, London Details

Royal Birmingham Society of Arts Prize

23/09/2019 — 22/06/2019

RBSA Gallery, Birmingham Details

Contemporary Photography 2019

19/09/2019 — 04/08/2019

CICA Museum, Seoul, South Korea Details

Glitches and Defects

05/07/2019 — 15/07/2019

Millepiani Gallery, Rome Details

COMPOSITION 2, Lichfield Festival Exhibition 2019

01/07/2019 — 31/07/2019

Lichfield Cathedral, Lichfield Details

Urban Lights

26/06/2019 — 04/07/2019

Millepiani Gallery, Rome Details

Dreams

24/05/2019 — 07/06/2019

Art Number 23, Biscuit Factory, London Details

Bath Open Art Prize

24/05/2019 — 09/06/2019

44AD Gallery, Bath Details

Stranger than Fiction

02/05/2019 — 14/05/2019

Millepiani Gallery, Rome Details

Positive Emotions

06/04/2019 — 30/09/2019

Kunsthuis Gallery, Crayke, Yorkshire Details
Interested in
Art Walk/TrailArtist TalkCommissionCompetitionContemporary art fairExhibitionResidency
Media
PaintingPhotography
Other keywords
AbstractExperimentalLandscape