Elegant yet Dramatic

Ellie Cashman
2019-11-20T13:00:00-05:00

Suzann Kletzien loves using wallpaper, as she likes combining materials, colors and patterns. It';s always a color or pattern that gives her inspiration. After using the wallpaper in her own home, Suzann recommended it to a client for her entryway. Please see this post to see the results of Suzann's projects featuring Ellie's designs.
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I painted ‘Dark Floral’ in 2013, when I was first becoming interested in the still life paintings of the Dutch Golden Age. Here, a majestic, ethereal bouquet of peonies, ros-es and daisies cascades softly down a dark, shadowy background. ‘Dark Floral’ is the original design that launched my label in 2013, when it went viral on Pinterest. Since then, I’ve tried to figure out exactly what it is about this print that causes people to react so strongly. I think there are several things that make it work especially well.

This makes it possible to combine ‘Dark Floral’ with black and white to offset a stark, contrasty and minimal interior; with neutral colors for a toned-down and timeless interior; with pastels for a soft, feminine interior, or with bright reds and greens for a bolder look. For a classic, elegant look, combine it with gold or brass. Toughen it up with con-crete floors. Complete the look with low lighting and a bouquet of fresh flowers.

A classic, elegant look with gold or brass.

It’s essentially black and white, and is complimented by warm, earthy greens in the foliage behind the flowers, pops of red at the center of a single flower, and pas-tels (light blue, yellow, pink, coral and off-white appear on other flowers). This makes it possible to combine ‘Dark Floral’ with black and white to offset a stark, contrasty and minimal interior; with neutral colors for a toned-down and timeless interior; with pastels for a soft, feminine interior, or with bright reds and greens for a bolder look. For a classic, elegant look, combine it with gold or brass. Toughen it up with con-crete floors. Complete the look with low lighting and a bouquet of fresh flowers.

My design proces

To create my large-scale floral prints, I use a combination of traditional and digital art media. What begins as a hand sketch is later imported and developed digitally for printing. From start to finsh, a design usually takes me 6 months to a year to complete. Simultaneously, I'm studying Old Master techniques in oil painting, in order to better understand 17th century insights and approaches to light, color and contrast as a means to create a heightened sense of space depth, something that's very important to my work and the concept behind it.

It's my hope to apply these 'Golden Age' insights and techniques using new (digital and printing) technology, to create an artful, signature style of surface design for interior and fashion applications. My process is changing and developing all the time, and I feel deeply grateful that I'm able to engage with it every day.

If there’s one thing I’m really proud of about this print, it’s that it’s inspired people to do some beautiful and imaginative things with their surroundings.

Simultaneously, I'm studying Old Master techniques in oil painting, in order to better understand 17th century insights and approaches to light, color and contrast as a means to create a heightened sense of space depth, something that's very important to my work and the concept behind it.

My process is changing and developing all the time, and I feel deeply grateful that I'm able to engage with it every day. To create my large-scale floral prints, I use a combination of traditional and digital art media. What begins as a hand sketch is later imported and developed digitally for printing. From start to finsh, a design usually takes me 6 months to a year to complete.