Elizabeth Bessant
London
Using a range of media, I create vibrant, textured images. Collage, paint, giclee, lacquer, crystals and gold leaf make for art that is pleasurable to view but contains a strong social message.
My creative journey as a designer and print maker began in 1979 when I achieved my dream of going to art school. Although it was a happy time I also found myself in a constant battle against the established ideas of art in the early 1980s and pressures to explore gritty subjects that were fashionable at the time.
The beauty of the world, of formal gardens, country houses and furnishings, patterns and flowers and most importantly the subtlety of colour were what called to me. When I discovered silkscreen printing that achieved pure clean colours I knew this was my medium. In 1982 I was vindicated when my silkscreen print "The Morning Room, Tredegar House" was accepted and hung in the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition. Having developed a very successful style, my prints sold worldwide and were continually accepted for the Royal Academy.
In the early 1990's, with a young son it was time to make a change and I turned to my second love: textiles, sewing and design. My early designs were heavily influenced by my roots as an artist: each garment involved crinkling, texturing, dyeing and heat treating fabrics along with appliqué and beadwork. My new career was launched in a Chelsea boutique where I sold my outfits to celebrity and society clients before setting up my own Elizabeth Bessant Couture salon in Knightsbridge.
COVID 19 brought my couture business to a halt overnight. But this presented a long-wanted opportunity to return to print making. I used lockdown to explore themes that touch on everyday lives. Linking back to an idealised 1950s, I explored attitudes to women, sexuality and domestic abuse. The resulting large prints, embellished with a variety of media including crystals, lacquer, gold and silver leaf are colourful, textural and vibrant with a strong message.
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