elfine photographic art: miniview

oh! what a terrific way to start out the week here. the fabulous australian artist linda kruger of yellow monday has opened a brand new shop called elfine, which features work quite different from the whimsical prints in her other beloved shop. linda is taking original photographs and enhancing them manually and digitally to create a beautiful new series of giclee prints. these new pieces have a more organic, worn feel to them — so welcoming and familiar even when seeing it for the first time. those qualities, coupled with a contemplative color palette and very affordable ($20-$60!) price range, makes each piece highly stare-worthy and collectible. ever curious to know more, i decided to ask a few questions…

q: have you always been into photography? how did you decide to put all the elements together for the collection?
a: i have always loved photography. i studied it at university as part of my film studies course, and loved shooting with film and using the darkroom. i mostly use my digital camera at the moment, but am interested in photography from older cameras. a while ago i stumbled upon some images taken with a diana camera - a cheap plastic camera made in hong kong in the 60’s. the diana is quite unpredictable with her results - random light flashes, soft focus, super saturated colours - and the effects are fabulous! so i was partly inspired by this. i also have a background in printmaking (etching) but had stopped doing it about six years ago due to space issues. anyway these photos reminded me about the work i was doing back then - abstract landscapes and details of buildings, with very coarse textures, and simple designs. so i guess these two things came together and i ended up with something new. i really wanted to get a particular look in the photos which was a combination of rough textures and a gentle softness, so i ended up working in layers (like in etching) but with paint, and pencil, and also with photoshop.

q: now that you have opened the elfine shop, what is in store for yellow monday? will you continue to work on both?
a: oh yes. i will continue to work on both shops. i like the fact that they are very different, and that i can engage with the different styles according to my mood, or whatever is inspiring me. but i have loved doing the elfine images, and feel like i am getting back on track with a side of my work that i’d taken leave from for a while.

q: do you have a favorite piece in elfine?
a: i don’t really have a particular fave - they all have very personal associations for me, and each is from a place which has had some meaning for me. i feel like i layer each image with colour and texture and also something of myself as well. if i had to pick, i might choose the warrumbungles tree series.

purchase all the pieces shown here at elfine, see linda’s other work at yellow monday and be sure to drop by her blog to say hi and see what else she is up to!

thanks linda!

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