Art Blog

10 Questions with Elsabe O'Donovan

Elsabe O'Donovan is a contemporary artist who has obtained a BA (Ed) Fine Arts degree from the University of Pretoria and is the founder of the Open Window Institute for Arts and Digital Sciences.

Elsabe works seamless between analogue and digital art. She often expresses herself in traditional media such as watercolors, acrylic paint, charcoal and mixed media but enjoy working in her digital studio while travelling.

Her art process usually starts by capturing photographic images of her surroundings and subject matter; that gets translated into imaginative, conceptual visuals or metaphors of a new subliminal world. Her inspiration comes mainly from nature and she is fascinated by the peculiar existence of man on planet earth.

She is one of our selected 10 Art.co.za Watch List artists for 2023. The new annual list of the most on-the-rise artists in South Africa features the artists across various media and subject matter who are gained momentum in the past year and who are reaching new heights in their art careers.

If not art, what would you do?

Writing poetry, cooking a stew, study Futurism and Astronomy, hiking.

Where does your inspiration come from?

Nature and my subconscious mind.

What's your secret obsession?

White chocolate .

Do you have a creative muse?

Leonardo da Vinci.

Which creative medium would you love to pursue but haven't yet?

Bronze casting.

Favorite time of the day?

Early morning.

What is your most important artist tool? Is there something you can't live without in your studio?

Lots of scrap paper.

Favourite or most inspirational place in South Africa?

Wild coast.

What, in your opinion, is the hardest step in creating an artwork?

Capturing the essence of the work.

What's the best creative advice you've ever received?

Never paint over a used canvas.

View Elsabe O'Donovan's portfolio.