Tate Papworth
A Sunshine artist is capturing her lockdown experience in a colourful way and it couldn’t be more popular
Ashley Ellis began a series of portraits to document her experience earlier this year.
Ellis said the first few portraits captured scenes from the daily press conferences led by Premier Daniel Andrews as they are such a prominent part of the daily experience for her.
But it seems she’s not alone.
“One portrait, in particular, seems to have captivated people more than the others – Brett Sutton,“ Ellis said.
“When I put it up on my Instagram account, a few friends jokingly suggested I should make it available on mugs, socks, tea towels, etc. “So I obliged and threw it up on Redbubble so they could get their fix of Brett.
“Well … did it go off or what! Someone shared the products on Twitter and the next thing I knew, I was getting calls from TV, radio, newspapers … and the sales went bananas.“
Despite the popularity, Ellis stressed her portraits are in no way politically motivated.
“I have done a range of other portraits, not just the state government officials,“ she said.
“I’ve had a bit of push back from some who oppose the way the whole thing has been handled, so I really want to stress that by capturing them in portrait, I in no way endorse them. I am simply capturing my perspective on what I feel is a significant moment in history.“
Details: Search ashley_ellis_art on Instagram.
Tate Papworth
