Ellie Suri

I am a contemporary painter whose work centres around the idea of ‘home’ as being defined by the human systems and relationships that occur within the domestic space. Using etching and monoprinting to inform my oil painting practice, my work often goes through multiple stages of transformation before reaching a finalised outcome. Through this process of translation, a visual conversation occurs between print and paint that results in a playful and reactionary figurative practice.

Working from an ever-growing collection of photographic imagery, my work is personal and experiential, often depicting my friends and family members as its subject. Yet, through my practice, I seek to represent widely recognised ideas surrounding the connection between people and their lived environment. I use rich, vivid colours and the repetition of pattern to reflect the everyday routines and rituals of domestic life, bringing meaning to the physical spaces we inhabit through their intimacy and humanity.

The visual motifs within my work are often influenced by scenes from plays, or written works that explore themes of home, heritage and memory. I have an interest in theatre, so I like to consider the figures I paint as characters, inspired by their real-life counterparts. By enlivening these figures and their environments through a generous application of paint and strong gestural marks, I create a warm inviting atmosphere within my paintings, representing a working process that’s rooted in reflection and reinterpretation.

Although created as individual works, when viewed collectively, my paintings form contained pockets of density, intense in colour and texture. The figures start to recontextualize when viewed in relation to one another, and with each new painting, a familiar yet surreal image of ‘home’ emerges.