I graduated as technical graphic designer. I also like typography. With 10 years of experience in lay-out, I entered education (graphic media and multimedia).
For me, cross-over techniques between drawing, graphic art, photography en digital work are a fascinating a playing field to experiment with different aspects of an image.
Photography
Photography is a hobby, a passion, from which I get inspiration. I take pictures everywhere – especially snapshots – for instance while travelling, on the road, from a moving camper, while walking or cycling… Watching, absorbing and enjoying nature, the landscape and the people. But the strange distortions in reflections, shadows and perspectives also inspire me. The photo is a starting point for further research, to make digital collages, to look unbiased and open-minded at the world …
Two major topics:
- wanderlust, travel and nature. In my youth, I lived in Germany and in Congo, very different environments. As an adult, I live in Belgium, but I still have a great appreciation and sensitivity towards other cultures;
- hence the interest in the human face: portraits. I have taught for 27 years in a school with a great diversity in every area, a place with a wealth of many unique people, with respect for their differences: in education, in learning opportunities, gender, religion, skin color, sportsmanship, etc. Portraits are a way for me to show the power of polyphony through different faces. No one is defined by one single characteristic.
To draw
What a photo cannot achieve, a drawing can. You can combine techniques, but also complement the content with your imagination.
In 2014, I went to the art academy to take up drawing by hand again. Paper is a tactile medium, it has structure. A digital medium does not, but it has completely different possibilities. I combine everything: paper, drawing materials and collages, digital apps.
Graphic art
After completing a specialization degree in drawing, I am experimenting with graphic art: linoprint, etching, screen printing, etc. Converting images into lines, planes, structures and textures… quite a challenge!
Elisamedia 