Spontaneous, gullible, equable and well yes small. This is my friend ELENA PROUST from South London. I’ve known Elena for about 4 months now; we both share a huge love for Art, Music and poetry.
On this sunny afternoon I sit with Elena in one of the glorious rooms in the extravagant V&A museum. We were talking earlier about listening to Music we hadn’t listened to in a while, “Yeah I was listening to Ane Brun- do you remember? A lovely Norwegian lady singer with a lovely voice.” she asks.. I think I vaguely do remember.
Elena’s ARTHUSTLE is primarily poetry and painting. She has been painting since she was 5, she says the quality has improved since!
“Writing poetry has been a relative recent thing. I probably started in earnest about 4 months ago. I go to a Spoken Word open mic night and after reading poems from my favorite authors I thought I would give it a go myself.”
So what are you working on now?
"At the moment, I'm working on a copy of a Picasso painting in oil paint and a poem about feeling lost in a world that's so connected and wired - something I struggle against. I don't want to be consumed by my laptop and the internet but it's magnetic."
Ghost-writing..woooooooo.. (my very lame Ghost voice)
"I'm also a ghost writer for a friend who's writing on a novel about her Hungarian grandmother living through the Communist regime - but that's an on-going project that will probably be another 2 years in the making."
We’re in one of the many beautiful museums in London town; do you often take trips to exhibitions and art events?
"I regularly scour the art galleries for inspiration and recently went to the exhibition on "Brains" at the Wellcome Trust (Where they also do amazing breakfast)."
Food is a bonus I must say!
"Yeah, the exhibition got me thinking about the body and how beautiful (and ugly) it can be - both in it's natural state and it's 'fake' state (think fake tan, weight gain, make-up etc)."
I know you are a music lover like me, have you been to any good gigs recently?
"I've been to see St Vincent twice during the past 6 months. She really is a marvelous lady with a beautiful voice who was introduced to me by a good and musically talented friend. I have written a few poems inspired by her lyrics and am working on some more but they definitely aren't as good as her songs..."
I draw my inspirations from so many different things, is there anything particular that you zone into when creating and developing your art?
"Mostly I draw my inspiration from what I see around me - both the beautiful and the dark/grotty side of London. I like patterns, particularly in clothes and buildings. Colours are the main draw though."
That's real interesting, there are so many towns, cities, countries that are unique, odd and fascinating, all of which we can draw on inspiration from.
"Definitely! My parents have a pretty bungalow in Normandy surrounded by fields and they turn different colours in different seasons - from the brown of the wheat field to the vivid yellow of rapeseed flowers the dull green and the snow white. They make for a truly stunning picture - I've taken many on my camera and the next step is painting them but I want to give the colours, shapes and patterns proper justice!"
That sounds absolutely majestic. So, tell me about your love for Poetry...
"I probably love words the most. I have never been as truly moved as by Thomas Hardy's 'Poems of 1912-13' a collection of beautifully haunting elegies about his late wife and their life together. I want to be able to arouse similar emotions in other people but it's a constant progress of development and discovery - that's the best part: it never stops until you do."
"I love in when I get childishly excited about something clever I've seen be it a painting, a song, or the written word. People are so clever and sharing experiences and ideas through different mediums should be encouraged - which is why Art Hustle is so great."
Why thank you Elena, and shes absolutely right, ART HUSTLE is about spreading the art love and talent not only in art circle but all over the shop!
Check out Elena's recent poem below, and keep watching for an EXCLUSIVE video interview with Elena & her poems coming soon!!!!
I put a pearl in the ground -
Left it there to lie.
To lie in the soil;
And to soil the lie.
Years later I found the pearl -
The pearl in the ground.
All soaked with soil;
Soil soaked with pearl.
After that I put the pearl in a box -
Left it there to lie.
To lie softly in the velvet;
To softly velvet the lie.
Years later you found the pearl -
The pearl in the box.
You put it on a chain;
To draw me to you;
To draw you back to me.
After that I wore the pearl -
The pearl round my neck.
To lie against my skin;
The skin that’s yours;
The pearl that’s ours;
The us that lasts.
The us in the soil,
The soil that lasts.
The pearl in the ground;
The ground in the pearl.
STAYED TUNED WITH ELENA ON HER BLOG >>>>>>>
http://proustmiscellaneous.wordpress.com/
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