Although the art scene normally revels in the unusual and the extraordinary, it takes a unique kind of creativity to take something run-of-the-mill and mold it into something beautiful.
Such is the work of Elspeth McLean, an award winning Australian artist whose innate love of colour and detail evolved into a unique style of painting she describes as “Dotillism”. Using small ocean pebbles found in beaches in New Zealand as her canvas and a tiny brush as her tool, McLean meticulously paints arrangements of tiny dots on the stones’ surfaces.
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What she creates are a wonder to look at, as beautiful as they are eerie.
The closer you look at the paintings, the more they appear three-dimensional.
The intricate detail on each stone is pure eye-sorcery.
McLean applies multiple layers of acrylic paint to achieve these almost-hypnotic designs.
Sometimes, it takes as many as six applications — painstakingly done with the tiniest of brush strokes.
McLean says, “Painting is my way to find my ‘happy place’ and color is a way to express and celebrate the colors of my soul.”
She considers nature, animals, the changing seasons, and her world travels with her musician husband as the inspiration for her work.
“Looking at my art from over the years it is very evident that my art becomes like a storybook into my life”, she says.
And what a colorful, vibrant life that must be.
