ELIN art and her fascination with the underwater coral reefs

Coral Cluster Ring

I was reading a Storque article on ETSY that featured this fabulous artist/painter/crochet master and I have become totally intrigued. Surely if she can teach herself to crochet with that much detail I can learn to crochet as well. I give myself until the end of the Summer to get a handle on this traditional craft. With the amount of crocheted crafts (doilies, embellished linens, coasters, blankets) I see at just about every estate sale in Portland, I ask myself how hard can it be? I hereby challenge myself to learn this craft and will report back to you on my progress in a few months. Elin, thanks for the inspiration! And, here is an excerpt from the Storque article and a few wonderful images of her work. Who would have thought one could ever want a pin cushion so badly.

Lichen Pin Cushion

Artist: elinart

I am a visual artist from the UK and have a BA and MA in Fine Art. I specialise in painting but also love to make textile based jewellery and objects under my designer-maker name, “ELINtm.” I consider myself to have a wonderful life — I love spending every day creating, trying out new ideas and playing with beautiful materials.

When I saw the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef at the Hayward Gallery in London, it completely seized my imagination. I then took up practicing crochet seriously and have drawn inspiration from the many amazing works made by other artists exploring this specific genre of crochet. The coral reef has developed into an extremely potent symbol for me, representing the abundance of nature and creativity, how its infinite beauty and diversity can only be marvelled at. It also reminds me how vital it is to view nature holistically and help to ensure that its treasures are valued and protected.

As an artist, it is important to me to remain connected with the wonder of nature through the childhood pleasures of close observation and making collections. Researching and creating coral inspired work offers endless visual delight and numerous technical challenges — I have learned an enormous amount from attempting to imitate nature.