In Conversation with: Romy Elliott

In Conversation with: Romy Elliott

Your work often explores light and shadow in a way that feels both atmospheric and abstract. How would you describe your artistic style, and how has it evolved over time?

Well, thank you! I think atmosphere is really key and something I’m definitely trying to achieve. A sense of space and light. Absolute, literal representation isn't something I’m generally aiming for. Maintaining enough of the key anatomical points to retain a sense of what it is but pushing boundaries with mark making, simplification and colour helps to ‘abstract’ a bit. 

There are no shortcuts to evolving a personal style and it’s something I will continue to work on for the rest of my life.. I love trying to evoke a feeling in my pieces. My other great love is light. Keeping my work loose is also important to me so sometimes I allow myself to be flexible with some aspects of reality such as proportions while maintaining an honest sense of light. Or sometimes I forgo light effect entirely and focus on line, gesture and exaggerated proportions. It depends on what I want to say in that particular piece. I love the way high contrast values stand against one another and make a painting punchy. Using and exaggerating light to manipulate design is something I enjoy. Creating that sense of warmth and intensity helps to develop an atmosphere. 

Horses and dogs feature heavily in your work—where does this connection come from?

I love animals so much. They have a wonderful straightforwardness that I respect and I think we can all learn from. Animals live in the moment and don’t hold grudges. I can’t explain how much happiness they bring to my life and I hope my paintings can do them some justice. When I’m wondering what to paint, I think about what it is that I really love, what makes me feel something, and whether I can translate that without being too literal. Often this results in a painting of a dog on my lap. 

Your personal work sits alongside your teaching and portrait commissions - how do you balance these different aspects of your practice, and do they influence each other?

I have a workshop coming up in March at College Arts School in Hampshire, where we will learn to draw sighthounds from life. Life drawing is an invaluable lesson and something I learned for many years. These days, most of my work is done from references but I hope that my years learning to draw from life models means that I am able to keep work from photos lively and prevent myself from getting too caught up in the details. Teaching makes me reconsider the basics and explaining concepts that are quite subconscious is an interesting challenge and usually a good reminder for myself as well as any students of some essential basic concepts.

I don’t really take on many commissions anymore but twelve years of drawing and painting portraits has certainly helped hone my draughtsmanship skills!

Is there a particular piece you’ve created that holds special meaning to you?

I can’t really think of one in particular… as I  mentioned earlier, sometimes I try to paint something that represents something close to my heart. A feeling that perhaps others can relate to. A familiar encounter with an animal. If I’m able to be successful doing this, that makes me happy. I have one painting of Fly, our dog, lying on my brother which is special because of the people in it and the setting being home. Another of Piper that I don’t want to part with. And then a not particularly successful painting of my mother picking flowers which I only like because there’s a real flash of her in it , doing something she loves. But I don't think to anyone else it would be a clear winner.. I find the paintings that mean something to me are not always the ‘best’ ones.. perhaps my liking them has more to do with the process of making them which might have gone smoothly or that they turned out similarly to what I intended at the outset.. or that they portray a subtle feeling that I can relate to.

Being an artist must be as much about the process as it is the final piece. What does your creative process look like day-to-day, and are there any rituals you rely on?

I walk to and from the studio every day. I love walking. It’s like my medicine - a wonderful time to move gently and separate home from work and have a bit of a think. If I’ve ruined something that afternoon.. by the time I have walked home, it usually doesn’t feel so bad. I feel so lucky to be able to!

Cups of tea are also critical.. my dogs being in the studio bring me such joy. Fly in particular loves the studio routine. He really, really relaxes because he knows my movements so well. I listen to a lot of music. 

You’ve worked across different scales and mediums—do you have a favourite, or is the variety an important part of your creative expression?

I think studying sculpture was a wonderful, fascinating place to start. Three years working three dimensionally has definitely helped me with understanding form and shape. As my teacher Robert Bodem always said, ‘sculpting is drawing in space’ so it’s all the same thing really. Drawing is at the root of it all. I want to go back to doing some more big drawings in charcoal. The scribblyness and immediacy of charcoal, I love. I think acrylics feel a bit similar. I can work really fast and be expressive with my marks. Overworking in acrylics is just not an option.. it looks bad if you fiddle too much. I like the challenge of having to get lines and shapes right first or second time.

Jewellery, like fine art in many ways, is deeply connected to form and craftsmanship. Do you find any parallels between your art and jewellery, and is there a piece you own that feels particularly meaningful to you?

It was so interesting talking to Debs about her lost wax casting method with her pieces. I spent some years battling with mould making for my larger clay sculptures so I have a fair idea of the process, although we cast in plaster. It’s quite mind boggling and takes a while to grasp the concept of how it all works. It's a wonderful thing to work with a foundry, or casting team and have a collaborative product. I love the way Debs’ pieces are so ‘raw’ looking. Manipulated in wax with hands before being cast in to something so static. A wonderful contrast and reminder of the process.

I don’t wear much jewellery but when I find something I love, it doesn’t come off. Usually a small pair of hoops daily (currently a lovely wobbly pair by Deborah) and my wedding ring band made by my mother in law (she also made a ginkgo leaf and a very characterful fish which both come out on special occasions and a ring with a pearl set in to it - the pearl, I found in my mouth while eating mussels at a restaurant)  a pair of clip on, fish earrings my husband found at auction which are agony to wear but totally worth it because I love them so much. 

Always gold as I love the warmth of it - my paintings are usually very warm in tone.. that’s what feels nice to me. 

Looking back, are there any standout moments that have shaped you as an artist

Living in Florence for three years feels like a bit of a dream now but that was really where I learnt so much. It’s a fascinating and beautiful city. I feel unbelievably lucky to have had that opportunity. My parents have always encouraged me making and drawing things from a young age. We were always doing creative things in the evenings and at weekends. Mum was so good at thinking up reasons to make a card or a collage, a sign or hat. I remember my Dad teaching me how to draw a running rabbit when I was quite small and I thought it was magic. 

What’s next? Any exciting projects or plans for 2025 that you’re particularly looking forward to?

This is my year of production… I have my next exhibition coming up in March 2026 so for now it’s head down! A studio move will be exciting in March after ten years here.. I think change will be good. I’ll have more space and I’m excited to see where it takes my work. 

Romy wears our Thalassa Medium Pendant and Thalassa Hoop earrings. 

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