Maz Ellis

I have always been drawn to flowers from a young age, because of their beauty, particular to when in their final stage. I want to capture the beauty of this stage, the creases, the shadows, the shapes. This led me to how the flowers, something beautiful can also look intimidating through the lens, like a forest/ trees, another organic form I look at. I explore these themes by photographing diseased flowers and trees, translating these images into Cyanotype prints and using monochromatic material such as ink mixed with Shellac and titanium acrylic to recreate these photos as larger, individual pieces, giving these organic forms an unsettling, creepy feeling to them. Keeping my work mainly monochromatic enhanced the idea of intimidation and creepiness that the forest and flowers bring to the lens, whilst having the juxtaposition of the cyanotype showcasing their beauty and approachable state. Limiting colour to be monochromatic has also meant that I can look at the light and darks of the flowers and trees physically and metaphorically. Physically light and dark to show all the texture, and crevices of the flowers and trees. Metaphorically light and dark to show the beauty but also the deathly, threatening states of the flowers and trees.