After gaining her BA Hons in Sculpture at Leeds University Eleanor travelled for some time in Asia before coming home to study Furniture making. Eleanor worked as a Cabinet maker and a Restorer before returning to Fine Art painting. Eleanor Woolley is a figurative and landscape painter, taking her inspiration from landscape and the human interaction within it. She likes to observe what seems mundane, capturing an intensity of people going about their lives. Eleanor spent time back stage at Giffords Circus, photographing and sketching the performers. Intrigued by the preparations being made by the performers, the lacing of a boot and powdering of faces. The calm atmosphere before the show begins, and the crackle of intensity as the curtain rises. ‘In my most recent work shadows are becoming more significant, I like to play with how they fall and merge into the foreground. I love the long shadows created by the early morning or evening light.’ In her figurative work Eleanor uses the play of light to create multi figured paintings, with an inner dialogue. The body language within the painting is often suggestive, and left open to interpretation, leaving the viewer to create their own story for each piece. Eleanor’s landscapes are inspired by beautiful Gloucestershire, and it’s Welsh and Hereford borders. Eleanor likes to work Plein Air, starting with bold outlines, and washes of oil to create the desired form. Her paintings are spontaneous, many layers of paint are used to create the depth of colour, often finishing with a palette knife adding definition, highlights and a pleasing texture. Her process of painting is explorative, over the years she has become more instinctive in her approach, enjoying the mark making and allowing process to be a form of meditatiion.