“THE FAT ABS”
The 13 images displayed below are acrylic paint on canvas. This series was inspired by the plump barrel shaped Boab trees native to the Kimberley region of West Australia. Each “Boab” has it’s own character which is reflected in this series. When you take a close look each painting tells it’s own unique story bringing to life many aspects of Broome and the surrounding landscapes where Elaine has lived for over 10 years. Elaine is a keen photographer using her own pictures as reference material for her paintings, she paints with a story in mind it could be something that made her laugh as in “Bare in mind” or the interaction she had with the little Aboriginal boy in “Phil’s place” or the deeply moving story about Broomes pearling history in “Mother of pearl”. The spiral circle featured in many of her paintings relates to her Celtic roots it’s a sacred symbol which represents the consciousness of nature beginning from the centre expanding outward.
Elaine creates art that explodes with character, colour, charm and wit. She seek to express what sparks her own imagination. Each image is built up with layers of fine brush strokes some of the paintings are textured with added materials to create the outcome she’s after.
All the images are on sale. Contact Elaine for information on how to purchase a cotton rag print from “The Fat abs” series.
“Phil’s place”
“Dead ringer”
“Whale of a time”
“Fish out of water”
“Bare in mind”
“The Dragon party”
“A clear reflection”
“Moonlighting”
“Natures window”
“Mother of pearl”
“Hatched”
“Tropi-cool hearts”
“Night creatures”
This particular painting “Mother of pearl” depicts a piece of Broomes history illustrating a story of a by-gone era. Pearl shell during the 1800’s was a valuable commodity used for buttons, buckles and cutlery. The diving was done by Aboriginal females who were captured and sold to the Pearl Masters a practice labelled “Blackbirding.” The young women were forced to dive naked without any oxygen learning to hold their breathe for as long as 2 minutes. Pregnant women were preferred due to the belief they had larger than normal lung capacity. Of course this idea was a myth completely untrue. sadly many perished under the hash conditions. The industry no longer dives for the Pinctada maxima shell instead the very precious seeds made inside the shell known as Pearls are now the highly sought after commodity.