Capturing beauty in the everyday

Pippin Ellis unveils her 2023 SALA exhibition at Hollick Estate

“With this work I was wanting to achieve a sense of ‘beauty in the everyday’. We can so quickly be caught up in wanting better experiences, more things, and forget how wonderful the small things are like a fresh cup of tea, a good book, our own diverse community and the beauty in ourselves.” Those are the words of Limestone Coast artist Pippin Ellis as she unveils her latest exhibition as part of South Australian Living Artists (SALA) festival.

It is not Pippin’s first rodeo when it comes to being part of the month long SALA event with her 2023 exhibition being hosted at Hollick Estate – a venue where she has forged a strong relationship since returning to the region. “I have been part of SALA since 2018, exhibiting in Adelaide 2018 and 2019 and then throughout the Limestone Coast including The Riddoch Art Gallery and now in 2023 at Hollick Estate,” Pippin said. “I have hosted SALA festival workshops and residencies during this time. SALA is such an important time for artists to showcase their work in South Australia and for emerging artists to have their work exhibited and seen. As well as exposing communities in metropolitan and rural areas to different arts practices, workshops, exhibitions and residencies.”

Pippin’s long standing relationship with Hollick made it the perfect venue for this latest exhibition. “Hollick Winery reached out to me earlier in the year to organise an exhibition for SALA and of course I said yes,” she said.

The exhibition is a collection of new work. “I have pulled back parts of my painting and practiced a more minimalistic approach,” Pippin said. “Giving these artworks a clean and simplified aura, easy to take in and lovely to sit with. With our busy lives I wanted to create something that still incorporates my love of colour pattern and culture into an artwork that wasn’t quite so busy, something to calm and connect our mind and emotions with. As the exhibition goes on I will be adding new pieces to the mix and you will see some of my previous work as well.”

Not one to be pigeonholed, Pippin is a multidisciplinary artist, who is constantly looking to evolve. “I am fascinated by the diverse tapestry of everyday life, people around the world, the power of women and finding beauty in the simplest and smallest moments,” she said. “I have a strong belief that tapping into your inner child when creating art is essential for my practice. Helping me to unlock a world of true imagination, playfulness and giving myself the freedom to create whatever I feel like.

“I do not like to fit into a box and I love to try new things in my art practice, connecting through different themes and materials constantly. I am creative, allowing me to venture into uncharted boundaries, unravelling fresh narratives and embracing different mediums.”

Given her current role as a full time secondary English and Humanities teacher in Mount Gambier, Pippin is in the throes of reassessing her art practice and the role it will play going forward.

“I am a passionate teacher and try to weave a sense of imagination and creation into all my lessons,” she said. “I am reflecting on my practice and looking at new ways of developing my skills. I am a firm believer we should all be lifelong learners, whatever that may look like for each individual person. I am always wanting to learn new things and gain more experience. I am hoping to educate myself further in pottery and textiles through workshops and online education to extend my art practice in other ways.”