Biography
Elizabeth Marmur (b. London 1967) is a self-taught artist based in London. Elizabeth is primarily known for her work as an actor – notably, as ‘Toni’ in the Bafta winning TV series ‘Peep Show’. But, in 2020, she turned her creative talents to the visual arts. Elizabeth uses simple, unfussy materials such as art markers, coloured pencils, and assorted acrylic and ink pens on watercolour paper. In 2021, Elizabeth was selected by the Dear Artists Project (based in Chicago) for their “Phases” virtual exhibition. She has had her work featured on a gin bottle label “Propolis”, by the acclaimed Apiarist Gin Company, and has collaborated with jewellery and watch designer Brigitte Gertz-Ziegler on her 2022 collection . Last year, she had her first group exhibition in London as part of an Open Arts event.

Statement
I am inspired by the wonder of nature – both universal and human. My work is an ongoing exploration of the human condition – specifically, the interior world from which we process all things, and the states of mind into which we all continuously drift. I create my work from an interior space. I rarely approach a piece with a preconceived idea, other than to convey how I am feeling in the present moment. I start with the colour palette, and use shape and pattern to capture the feeling inside. Sometimes a recognisable image such as an animal, face, or object will emerge, and I respectfully allow it to guide me. My art is an expression of me, but my intent is to connect to something shared; something which is deeper than just my own experience or perspective. Often, my audience will see something I haven’t seen myself. My aesthetic favours elegant patterns and unusual colour combinations – just as you might find in nature. I have an affinity with the nature-inspired motifs of Arts and Crafts movement and Art Nouveau. I favour circles over squares which, stylistically, suggests an Aboriginal influence – though I’m pretty sure this is entirely coincidental.

Ether, 2020/2022
Watercolour, acrylic pen, and ink, 14.8 x 21 cm
Unusually for me, this piece took two years to complete. It started out as a straightforward watercolour and graduated, two years later, into something more textured and complex. By working the black and grey ink pens into the fabric of the design and creating an intense pattern whilst leaving blank spaces kissed by colour, I point to the ethereal quality of what lies beneath the surface of things. “Ether” is an expression of my personal evolution as an artist and captures my conviction that creativity is borne from something deep inside of us, mysterious and unknown.
What at first looks like a swirl of purples, pinks, and blues soon becomes, on closer inspection, a form protruding upwards from the left corner – the neck, skull, and face in profile of the thinker. Blended with the background, the thinker appears completely absorbed and lost in their own thoughts. However, the subtly discernible form suggests that we are not solely the sum of our thoughts and that the content of our thinking is not the sole basis of reality – it merely takes on the hue of the thinker. Being cognizant is being aware of our role as the creator of our own separate realities.

Cognizant, 2022
Art marker, acrylic pen, and ink, 29.7 x 42 cm

Interiority, 2021
Art marker, acrylic pen, and ink, 29.7 x 42 cm
Interiority is the quality of being inward, private, or introspective. My artistic journey reads something like a diary and catalogues my ever-changing moods, insights, and feeling states. This piece, like the bulk of my work, is created within a few days of inception so as to help capture, as best as I can, the state of mind from which it was first borne. As I look at it now, I see a map of shapes; colours that shouldn’t match but do; and imagery of paw prints as if a mysterious, shape- shifting creature has padded its way through a landscape of mixed emotions.
“Dawn” was created in the aftermath of the death of a close friend who, despite battling and overcoming addiction, later succumbed to a deadly cancer at much too young an age. The fingers of golden light against the backdrop of dark blue depict the rising sun and suggest hopefulness for a new day. Rachel (“Rae”) was as exuberantly positive as she was playfully irreverent. In light of her battles with the booze, she would have appreciated the irony that this was the very piece later selected as the bottle label for “Propolis” gin by the acclaimed Apiarist Gin Company.

Dawn, 2021
Art marker, acrylic pen, and ink, 29.7 x 42 cm

Ornamental, 2021
Art marker, acrylic pen, and ink, 29.7 x 42 cm
Created during the first week of the Chinese New Year 2021, this piece speaks to my personal experience of the Orient. The colour palette is reflective of the impressions I had whilst working in Macau, China during 2019. The blood red (Year of the Ox), the golden yellow, and the concrete grey speak to the opulence and functionality I found there. In the lower half, embedded in the ornate pattern, is the suggestion of two profiles in heated discussion. Whether they are friends or foes is left to the viewer to decide.
For more information about the artist, please visit:
Instagram: @i_wear_my_art_on_my_sleeve

All photographs courtesy of Elizabeth Marmur
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