Today we’d like to introduce you to Elle Yount.
Hi Elle, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Having a degree and background in Interior Design led me to work in this industry for over ten years, working both in Nashville and San Francisco. While being at the last design firm I worked for here in Nashville, TN, I ended up doing quite a few renderings of interior spaces for certain clients which led me to do more commissioned art pieces for different clients as well. It hadn’t been since I was a young girl, that I really did drawings or paintings and it was just never really anything I pursued.
Growing up, my dad was the one who shared his love for drawing with me. He had such a great eye. When he was younger, he pursued being a commercial artist and I just loved watching what he could do with just a pencil and paper alone. My love for art grew then and there. After having picked it up again all these years later, I fell back in love with it all over again. I felt myself dreaming of new ideas for pieces, painting became super therapeutic and inspiring for me and I haven’t stopped since.
Now, I am still living in Nashville, TN, married to my long-time love, constantly renovating our 1940’s home, and am happily doing my art full time. I would consider my work to be an eclectic mix of President George Washington meets Picasso style-wise. With interiors, I love the mix of new and modern blended with old and classic and it is the exact same way with my work.
I believe when you do what inspires you, and something that you love, it creates that fire underneath you to be driven, because with passion, comes drive. My hope is to inspire others to do the same, to pursue what they love, to create or do something that brings joy, and to believe in it because each person offers something different that no one else can.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think believing in myself and my work and putting myself out there as an artist, was the hardest part. I started very slowly. I would draw pieces and put them up and wait for that once-in-a-blue-moon sale. It was defeated at the time and my drive wasn’t quite there because I wasn’t receiving as much confirmation that I was doing something worthwhile. My husband actually was the one who I like to say, was and is my biggest fan.
He told me, regardless of what happens, I need to keep pursuing what I love, I need to keep drawing and creating every single day. I found, the more I would draw, the more inspiration would come, and the more I was able to grow as an artist. I think it took me a while to find my look, and my style but once I did, it brought even more belief in myself and even more of a passion to keep going.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My artwork mainly consists of portraits, busts, and sculptures. I am such a Frenchie at heart and I think you can really see that in my work. My portraits began after wanting to create one for my home specifically and I fell in love with the process which turned into me painting portraits all the time.
It wasn’t until I went back to Paris this past year, that I was inspired to create my busts and sculptures and those have become my favorite pieces currently. Most of my art very much has a Parisian aesthetic to it and it’s something that I’m so drawn to that it naturally and organically just flows out from paintbrush to canvas.
I think the thing that I am most proud of, is pushing myself outside my comfort zone to do what I love most.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I think people who know my work, may not know what a homebody I am. I love to go out to nice dinners, grab a coffee or go antiquing, yet, I am most happiest at home. It feels like my little oasis from the world where I can create and just be.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elleyount.com
- Instagram: @elleyount
