Through her vibrant artwork, Canada-based creative Elspeth McLean aims to connect people to their inner child. One way she does this is through small ocean stones that were found on beaches in New Zealand. They are painted in beautiful, bright colors that feature a series of dots decoratively arranged along the surface. McLean’s designs vary in scheme and pattern, but they always delight in an almost-hypnotic way. It’s easy to get lost when looking at all of the intricate details.
McLean uses a tiny brush and acrylic paint to create these pieces. She’ll apply multiple layers of paint – sometimes as many as six applications – so that her dots retain their shape and produce a slightly three-dimensional effect. This meticulous process is what helps to make her pieces so eye-catching.
McLean writes about her work, “Painting is my way to find my ‘happy place’ and color is a way to express and celebrate the colors of my soul.” She’s influenced by nature, animals, the changing seasons, and her world travels with a musician husband. “Looking at my art from over the years it is very evident that my art becomes like a storybook into my life- where I was, what I was doing, what inspired and interested me at that time.” What a lovely sentiment.
Elspeth McLean website and Etsy shop
via [Reddit]