Ellen Bakker

Creativity has been the keyword in the life of Ellen Bakker from an early age. Born in 1960, she took her first steps in her mother’s sewing and teaching studio. She was always busy with all sorts of leftover-fabrics and craft materials. After her studies at the art academy, Ellen started to work as an independent graphic designer. Her current textile designs are an accumulation of her many years of experience in graphic design and her passion for textile art. The designs are characterised by a combination of graphical patterns, transparency and extraordinary colour schemes. Experimenting with colours, shapes, materials and techniques results in fabrics with unprecedented possibilities. The wealth of colours and shapes that surround her every day are a virtually inexhaustible source of inspiration for Ellen to create new designs.

‘What would life be without color?’
'I make an intuitive choice for a beautiful silk and without a fixed idea or plan, I take a brush and start painting, sometimes I use an airbrush, other times I combine different techniques. As if they almost pick themselves, the colors smoothly intertwine and flow onto the white surface in all sorts of patterns. I like the surprise brought on by the many layers of transparent paint. This layering adds more depth to the design in the end. Colors allow for a very subtle mixture on silk. The fine and tender character of silk combines beautifully with the paint spreading ever so thinly. At the same time, there is the desire to have the designs take on a fixed, more graphic shape. I will then sit behind my computer and create designs that can be printed on hundreds of different fabrics. This is an area of conflicting sensations moving back and forth between keeping control and letting go. The combination of the two makes for exciting results.

Ellen Bakker

Ellen Bakker

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