We are thrilled to announce this limited edition of just 50 artworks in cotton terrycloth, based on a design submitted to our 2024 Open Call by Elle Willson, and woven in the USA.
“Forget-Me-Not” is a colored pencil drawing on paper,12 x 6 inches in size, from 2024. A standout favorite, we were excited to learn more about Elle and her work after reviewing and selecting her beautiful submission.
Elle Willson is an artist living and working on the Central Coast of California.
Tucked into the golden, rolling hills somewhere between Morro Bay and Atascadero, CA, sits Elle’s humble home and art studio. This February she welcomed us for a quick visit, and it was such a joy to get to know her and learn about her artwork in person.
After growing up in Idaho and spending time in Montana, Elle found herself drawn to sunny California about ten years ago and fell in love with the central coast. She’s been nestled in this grassy nook, hidden between oak trees, for the past few years and makes her artwork in a corner of her bedroom or the garage she shares with her partner.
Although she’s always been creative, Elle felt things break open about two years ago when she hit her stride working with colored pencils and honing in on flower studies. Her debut solo exhibition at Cruise Control gallery in nearby Cambria in 2023 helped her to access her community in a new way, immersing her in the art world and driving a more ambitious practice.
Elle now balances her time between cleaning houses, occasional waitressing, immersing herself in nature, surfing, and developing her art career. She draws almost every day, and it’s easy to see how she can spend several hours at a time getting lost in her delicate compositions and working til her hands are sore, if she’s not careful. There is equilibrium for her in the joy of helping others and getting outside of her self. Like a true artist, she pushes through any stress she may have by doing more art, switching up scale, or mediums, or experimenting with stained glass.
Sometimes Elle’s flowers are based on something real, a photo she took, or sometimes a memory. They are these nice amalgams of real life and dreamscape ~ beautiful, patient studies in abstraction, with historical influence among the likes of Georgia O’Keeffe and Paul Klee… We were so pleased to have been introduced to her work and can hardly wait to see where Elle goes from here.
“In this rural & quiet area I find plenty of time to make drawings of flowers and other plants that inspire me… I always start with a flower in mind but I never know where it will go from there.”
“The figurative part of the drawing is usually the focal point, and the abstractions are complimentary. I am usually searching for balance and harmony, and colors that may unexpectedly pair together. It’s fun to experiment with drawings that are full of sharp contrasts and bold colors, or drawings that flow together in a way where the two perspectives are blending together and perhaps the whole thing ends up being abstract.” ~ Elle Willson
Listen to Elle’s playlist here ~
PLUNGE RECOMMENDS:
Wayne Thiebaud: Art Comes from Art at the Legion of Honor in SF, opens March 22nd
"Pacific Transit" by Jesse Schlesinger opening celebration Saturday, March 29 starting at 11 AM at 43rd Ave & Judah in SF
Ruth Asawa retrospective at SF MOMA opens April 5th
An artist residency on a boat in Brussels? yes plz.
One of our favorite local galleries, Et al., is looking for a lil help ~ consider supporting one of SF’s very best
Plunge of MARCH: Morro Rock Beach obviously, and stop to meet the local otters :)
PLUNGE NEWS:
“Lost in Solitude” by Gina M. Contreras is restocked and available at the SF MOMA museum store
Plunge Rag volume 5 is coming up next! It’s a heavy hitter, featuring interviews with 7 plunge artists you know and love including Jeffrey Sincich, Gina M. Contreras, Gabe Kasor, and more…
Our bundle sale is still live! Use code plungebundle24 for 20% off 3+ towels