Elan Evans has been creating bespoke painted finishes for over 20 years. As the world of wallpaper began to expand, she knew she wanted to create wall coverings that would capture everything she loved about hand-painted finishes and combine that with some of the advantages of an applied paper. Great painted finishes are often built up with blended transparent layers, new ways of working and new materials got her thinking about different ways of creating a dimensional finish, i.e. making the layers physical, out of torn and cut paper.
Then, as the design world was turning towards geometric patterns the question arose, how to incorporate the precision of a computer-generated pattern with the warm and rhythm of hand painting? The answer for Elan turned out to be die cutting machines, which cut the hand-painted material in remarkably precise patterns that could then be pasted together in double and triple layers. In 2016, in addition to providing services in graining, gilding, metallic finishes, stenciling, and hand painting, she introduced STRATA Wall Coverings. This line of products are composed of two/three layers of unique papers: backgrounds and overlays. The combination results in a striking, multi-dimensional product that is highly customizable - any background can be combined with any overlay for a custom look.
As always, products and techniques continue to evolve. Building patterns require an understanding of how to break them apart, and she became intrigued with ideas of constructing and deconstructing patterns, of having an organized pattern change organically across the wall, and of using the leftover cut pieces to add to and alter the effect. Elan is thinking beyond the confines of wallpaper being a mere covering for a wall, and instead creating walls that stand alone as art in their own right.
The flexibility of her painted finishes allows her to customize colors and techniques for a product line with hundreds of possible combinations all painted by hand and cut in panels in her Cotati studio. A taste of some of her work can be found in her online portfolio here: http://elanevans.com/portfolio/
