About the Artist
Eleanor Havsteen-Franklin’s etchings are inspired by detailed drawing studies of flora, fauna and organic forms. Her work focuses on visually embodying the interwoven relationship between botanical and biological forms, in order to reflect on the fragility and resilience of ecosystems and human life. She encourages foul biting on the copper plate during the etching process to create a textured surface and a dialogue between the intentional drawn lines and random marks. The etching plate is printed in different colour hues; investigating the idea of the multiple print and how the different colour combinations change the intensity and reflections of the subject matter within the image. At times, the surface of the print is explored further by stitching into the printed Japanese paper.
Eleanor was born in Denmark, and moved to the UK in 1994, completing her BA Fine Art with Psychology at Chester University (1997). Following this she trained as an Art Therapist at the University of Hertfordshire (1999). In 2007 she finished her MA in Printmaking at Camberwell College of Arts, London (UAL).
Since her MA, she has exhibited widely in the UK and abroad. Solo exhibitions include Gyldendal, Copenhagen (2019), De Queeste Belgium (2018); Watford Museum (2012) and 1st prize ‘Pushing Print’ solo show, Margate (2013). Other awards include BITE and Eastern Open. Group exhibitions include ‘Health and the Climate & Ecological Emergency Exhibition at UCLH; Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions; Koppel Project; Kyoto City Art Museum, Japan; Creekside Open; Guanlan Print Biennale – China; Northern Print Biennale. In 2019, she curated the exhibition ‘The Poetics of Otherness’ at the Pratt Institute, New York and has been awarded several AA2A schemes, combining 2013-14 with a residency at Butterfly World. Her collaborations include a publication with the poet Thofner (2016), and with the scientist Dr. Torode, whose plant research inspired her work for the Cambridge Science festival (2018). Her recent work is inspired by her collaboration with the scientist Dr. Schornack, Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University, and his research on the Liverwort plant, Fungi and mycorrhizal processes.