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Sophie Ellen
UNITED KINGDOM
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“Everything is random, memories and thoughts float about; last week feels the same as ten years ago.”
Sophie is an Autistic Artist who is completely self-taught. After suffering a mental breakdown at the age of 18 she was never able to attend art school, however, Sophie was determined not to let this hold her back in achieving her life’s dreams.
Sophie | Black & White Photography
Photo of artist
She creates highly detailed images by using paper stumps which are covered in loose charcoal or graphite powder, the images are then built up in a series of layers. There is no griding technique or outline sketch used.
Genius | Graphite
$3,354
Einstein is arguably one of the greatest scientists that have ever lived. He had a form of Autism which I believe is what helped him in achieving his scientific excellence. His ability to think deeply about a problem and to always ask why.
Leaning in towards the paper as if he is peering into your soul, the black background is symbolic of space time, the way the science eluded him for many years smothering his thoughts. His illuminated face reflects how he shed light on our Universe.
Sophie simply starts with a tiny mark and lets the rest of the piece flow outwards from that point. She uses colors in the form of a watercolor rinse to draw our attention towards a specific theme or to blur the line between whether you are looking at an image with the colors draining out of or whether it is a black and white image with color seeping through.
“I have dedicated all my time to teaching myself art.”
“When I see something, I never see the whole image. It’s like my brain doesn’t have enough computing power to cope, so instead it just makes my eyes absorb the information in small chunks like jigsaw pieces. I see all the tiny details and marks first, a slight shadow across someone’s nose, a freckle on their chin, and slowly all these pieces slip together, and I realize I’m looking at a face.”
Parallel worlds | Graphite
$1,341
Being autistic can make you feel like there is an invisible screen between you and the rest of the world. You just don’t understand things, and no matter how hard you try you just can’t break down the screen. It can be isolating and depressing. This is represented by the black background. My hand is reaching for the light which mentally signifies positivity of thought.
I feel our hands say a lot about who we are, they bare the scars and marks of our lives but also convey our tenderness.
On first sight a horses eye is dark and empty looking, however take the time to look closer and you see the many layers, deep down to their soul. They are such majestic creatures and seem to be able to sense our feelings. The relationship between humans and horses goes back centuries but how often does someone actually take the time to peer deep into their eyes and see what they are feeling? Each tiny detail helps capture the emotion and feeling of the animal. No hair was left out!
A Horse Eyes View | Graphite
$2,414
Sophie starts by drawing tiny marks or shapes, which are at first glance, insignificant. Gradually the subject appears through multiple layers. Sophie portrays her view of the world by describing how she feels there is a breakdown between what her eyes see and what her brain can interpret.
“No matter how hard you try, you can sort of make things out but often it is wrong and the closer you get things don’t become any clearer.”
“Most of the time I simply don’t understand the world around me. Life is like trying to peer through a fog”
"Moving through the world is like standing in front of a screen in fast forward on a video tape. I am standing watching this mass of people, stuff and language zoom past, surrounding me. I often ask myself why people have to go so fast."
Headspace | Graphite
$1,676
Inspired by my love of the wild west, a life a freedom, with no fences and boundaries. I have a huge appreciation of American culture,
This piece was inspired by the idea that one mans dream can be another mans nightmare. We are always envious of the way others live their lives, but should remember that even the wealthiest man on earth isn’t happy all of the time. Do we ever really know what is going on inside someone’s head? Each line on his face tells of struggles and hard work.
Sophie’s sincere hope is that when people see her art they stop, feel a sense of escapism, let themselves get lost in each tiny mark flowing together to form a shape and feel the world around them slow down, even just for a second. Each time you look at Sophie’s art she invites you to see something you had not noticed before.
A face with a thousand tales to tell | Graphite
$1,341
Each tiny wrinkle and line on this incredible face tells the story of the life of this nameless man. Who was he? What has he seen? He’s eyes convey a sense of sadness and deep feeling. A truly fascinating heritage encapsulated in a piece that promotes so many questions. The colour popped red is symbolic of the bloodshed that he may have witnessed in his life.
Sophie’s artistic approach and influences all stem from her Autism. She describes her brain as a random arrangement of dots floating in a 3D matrix. There is no sense of space or time. There is no distinction between what is real and what is imaginary. The events in a film are just as real as the latest news.
A snapshot in time- the tension in the man’s hand as he holds the rope, the anticipation, as to the right moment to make his move are all encapsulated in one image. His hand is covered in veins flowing together like rives as he tenses. So much feeling and emotion is illustrated in such a small section of this scene. Sometimes seeing the bigger picture is not necessary and distracts from the rawness felt in the moment. Everything you need to know is right here, captured in each tiny detail.
A hard days work | Graphite
$1,006
“My technique reflects how I see the world.”
One small step | Graphite
$250
This is a small sketch piece, encapsulating the idea that sometimes in life all we can do is put one foot in front of the other to keep going. Our greatest challenges suddenly seen more manageable if we take things one step at a time.
Masking is something which Sophie describes as a major part of her life. She explains this as the idea that people only show you what they want you to see in the world. Masking is when you put on a different face, one you think is more socially acceptable to fit in. The face you think the world should know you by because it is too scary to be yourself. Sophie has been masking ever since school. Mimicking exactly what other girls did on the playground. Sophie would hear a conversation, remember it exactly and then go and repeat it with someone else (to appear as if she was having a fluent conversation). Masking has a large influence over Sophie’s art. She encourages us to question: Do we ever really know the person standing in front of us or the celebrity we see in the spotlight?
This is a close up view of Headspace to give you an idea of the unique layering that went into creating it along with the level of detail observed.
Headspace close up | Graphite
Mental health themes regularly appear in Sophie’s work. Her aim is to raise awareness and increase peoples understanding of both Autism and mental health by celebrating seeing the world differently.
A Face with a thousand tales to tell | Graphite
This is a close up of the piece A face with a thousand tales to tell to showcase each tiny mark and detail present in the piece.
“When I draw, I draw how I see the world at my pace.”
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