Being a full-time mom is a challenging job and finding time to pursue one's creative passion can be even harder. However, for Ellen Randall, her time in the studio is her own and she makes the most of it by getting lost in her work. “I love that I can just get immersed in what I’m doing,” she describes.
“There are parts of my process that are less enjoyable but my favorite element is the details. The texture, the flowers, the 3D elements are what makes the process and pieces stand out for me.”
Because her time in the studio is limited, the artist does all of her research and designing during the day, allowing her to focus on creating during her precious few hours in the studio at night. Starting with a hand-drawn design, she translates it into clay and often spends time prototyping an idea in a basic form before creating the final piece.
She enjoys the trial-and-error process of designing, particularly with structural designs that require engineering or translucent clay that changes when it bakes. For landscape pieces, she works on the background first before adding details by building up layers, much like a painting.
Recently, the artist upgraded her studio space, moving from a small box room in her house to the master bedroom. This move allowed her to have dedicated zones for different aspects of her business, including material storage, packing, and photography, as well as her desk where she creates.
For Ellen, owning a small business means connecting with people, answering questions, discussing potential custom orders, and sharing thoughts and ideas with other artists. She feels part of a community and finds that the connections she makes with people are the best part of her business.
Using jewelry as her medium brings Ellen much joy, but she says that there’s something inspiring about having a larger “canvas” to work on from time to time. Sometimes the result will be a stand-alone piece, and sometimes there will be miniature jewelry, but they’ll be equally beautiful.
Her silvery moonlight scene is a prime example of this inspiration. “This silvery moonlight scene is mesmerizing,” she states. “I just love the depth created by the mica shifting moon against the black tree silhouette.” Indeed, it is an astonishing piece, and the tiny leaves and graceful branches imbue it with a sense of movement.
Despite the limited time she has to create, Ellen puts in the effort to make each piece stand out with intricate details and textures.
“The sense of pride you get when you start to call yourself an artist is amazing,” says Ellen, “but when your child gets asked what mummy does as a job and completely unconsciously replies with “my mum’s an artist”... I could’ve cried, pride doesn’t even cover it!”
