Our Head of Art Luke Baker recently sat down with Little Van Gogh artist Elle Guest to discuss her love of interiors and in particular the furniture of Gustaf Westerman. As well as how colour and gentle forms are integral to her work.

Where do you find inspiration?

Inspiration comes from all sorts for me. In terms of my colours anything from home interiors to beautifully iced cakes. I see all sorts of colour combinations when I scroll on Instagram and I’ll save those images when I see ones I really love. Inspiration from my forms comes from the human body and I extract shapes from particular positions to use on my paintings.

How has your practice changed over time?

Yes my practice has changed hugely over time. Even from the beginning of uni to the end I’d made completely different work every year but all of them had the running theme of colour. Colour is always at the forefront. My practice has stayed mostly the same since my final year of uni now though.

Who are your biggest artistic influences?

I’m obsessed with Gustaf Westerman who creates smooth edged and soft coloured pieces of furniture. They are so enjoyable to look at because of their curved edges. Even though they are such stand out pieces they could never look harsh in an interior setting because of the softness they bring and that’s how I want my paintings to be.

‘Gliding’

‘Mirror’

What’s the purpose or goal of your work?

I want my work to be an item that is pleasing to look at because of the gentleness they bring. The soft curving forms with their pastel colours add a calmness to whatever space they are in.

Does creating art help you in any other areas of your life?

I would say I’ve become very interested in interiors the last few years because of the paintings that I create. I love looking around a range of different interiors and seeing what places my paintings would best fit in.

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

I think to just make work, don’t overthink it. If you’re feeling stuck for ideas just create something random even if it has nothing to do with your practice or what you’re aiming for. You will gain new ideas from that random creation. Just being actively creative is what is important and it gives you more motivation