(About)
Vision
Her work transforms flowers into emotional and symbolic compositions — blending softness, texture, and contemporary experimentation into a distinctive visual language.
Background
Trained between Lisbon and Amsterdam, Elara spent a decade in botanical illustration before turning to large-scale painting and the slow study of still life.
Process
Each piece begins with arrangement and light, then weeks of layered oil glazes — building depth until the bouquet feels suspended between bloom and decay.
A selection from an ongoing series in oil on linen. Each painting holds a single arrangement, watched from first bloom to the slow fall of its petals.
(Collected by)
Solo and group exhibitions across Europe — from a first open studio in Porto to museum glasshouses in Lisbon.
Now on view
Dates
12 Sep — 30 Nov 2026
Venue
Galerie Foss, Amsterdam
(Upcoming)
(Past)
(Studio)
(I)
Stems are chosen at the market at dawn and set against dark linen by a north-facing window. Some arrangements live for a single afternoon; others are left to wilt on purpose.
Duration
1–3 days
Materials
Seasonal stems, dark linen
(II)
A thin layer of raw umber maps the composition and the fall of light. It is quick, loose and almost entirely hidden — the bones beneath every bloom.
Duration
1 day
Materials
Raw umber, turpentine
(III)
Translucent glazes are built over weeks, one veil at a time, until the petals hold the soft depth of the real thing — suspended between bloom and decay.
Duration
4–8 weeks
Materials
Linseed oil, sable brushes
Per painting
Layers of glaze
Arrangements per canvas
(Press)
[2025]
Still Magazine
[2024]
The Botanist Review
[2023]
Atelier Quarterly
(Commissions)
A small number of private commissions are accepted each year — a single arrangement, painted from life, for the person who will live with it.
[01]
Conversation
We talk about the room, the light and the flowers that matter to you — a garden, a wedding, a season.
[02]
Arrangement
Elara sources and arranges the stems, then shares studies and a colour sketch for your approval.
[03]
Painting & delivery
Eight to twelve weeks at the easel. The finished work ships framed, with a signed certificate of authenticity.
Next opening — March 2027
