Inspired by the coast – a few drops of seawater are added to every seascape painting or marine creature design that South Devon artist Elisha Green creates.
WORDS ANNA TURNS | PHOTOGRAPHS BRAHMA STUDIOS
Elisha uses watercolours, acrylic, pen and a drop of seawater to make her paintings. Photo Credit – Brahma Studios
‘I always say to my family that it feels like we live on holiday,’ says Elisha Green, who moved from the city of Birmingham to a village near Kingsbridge, just a couple of miles from the South Devon coast, when she was seven years old. ‘I’ve always loved these beaches, and the colour of the water is incredible, so it’s hard to not be inspired in a creative way.’ For Elisha, her coastal connection has a calming, grounding effect. Some weeks, she works away as a model, but every time she catches a glimpse of the sea from the train on her return journey, she appreciates Devon that little bit more. And on the days she’s working from home, she makes the most of every opportunity to see the sea, visiting the nearby golden sandy beaches or the rocky shores at least two or three times a week. ‘While I’m there, I often take lots of videos and pictures which I can look at when I’m back at my desk. I love painting straight after a beach visit so I’ve still got that mood in my head,’ Elisha explains. ‘I also have a little sunset club with my friend so we try so see as many beach sunsets together as possible; that’s always special.’
Painting on the beach. Photo Credit – Brahma Studios
While studying A-level art, Elisha was introduced to the work of Maggi Hambling, the Suffolk-based abstract artist who uses thick paint to represent the sea. After school, she moved away to study business at university in Bath. While living further inland, she craved connection with the coast. ‘Especially on sunny days, it made no sense to me to not be near the sea, so I’d come home whenever I could,’ says Elisha, who set up her art business during the lockdown. ‘I felt so much for people who didn’t live close to the sea and couldn’t easily walk on the beach – I wanted to give them a glimmer of hope, a reminder of the ocean. That’s what inspired me to put the seawater into my paintings.’
Elisha at work. Photo Credit – Brahma Studios
At her windowside workbench Elisha has lots of glass jars that she fills with seawater. Depending on which collection of paintings she’s working on, she’ll add a little splash of Salcombe or Torcross water to create texture on the top layer of her mixed media paintings, making a whale’s skin look rough, for example. The marine animals she paints reflect her own encounters – the humpback whale that unusually spent weeks feeding close to shore in Start Bay in 2017, the seal that kept popping its head up during a recent beach walk at Torcross, the crabs that Salcombe is well known for. Last year, she started sea swimming too. ‘That feeling of the sea on my skin makes me feel so good and I love that I’m adding that same saltwater into my paintings.’
One of Elisha’s artworks, called Pink Octopus; every painting is made using a little drop of seawater that Elisha collects at the place that inspired that picture. Photo Credit – Brahma Studios
INSPIRED BY THE COAST – WHERE TO FIND ELISHA GREEN
- Elisha Green shares her latest coastal inspiration, beach visits and mixed media artworks on her Instagram page @e.green_art
- Framed originals priced from £40. Each picture is made using acrylic and watercolour paints, plus an added splash of seawater from the location that inspired the design. Find out more about the paintings Elisha has for sale at egreenart.co.uk.
- To discuss bespoke commissions, email Elisha at [email protected].
Discover the coast artist collective, browse more design and interiors inspired by the coast, or pick up the latest copy of coast magazine for more coastal news.
