19 Oct Finding the Extraordinary in the Everyday with Esther Shavon

You never know where you will find your passion!  Esther Shavon was traveling for a career in an entirely different field while she stumbled across her love for fine art. Currently a fine art photographer and textile designer, she was traveling for over ten years as a physical therapist where she found herself spending time hiking and exploring the multitude of landscapes across the US. She describes this experience as the “launch pad” for discovering a love for photography and mixed media and eventually the begin of her journey in developing a creative career. See what she has to say about this journey and how she found inspiration through nature!

Describe your style in your own words.

“My current artistic style is bold, contemporary, and abstract. I use a combination of color, texture, line and shape to highlight microscopic elements in nature. Primary mediums of photography and hand drawn motifs are used to represent thematic relationships within my work. My pieces often have a background story, and I attempt to communicate and evoke that shared experience within each piece.”

How do you find intricate details in often overlooked subjects?

“My subjects of interest are vast, but often have a thematic reference to nature. I have been intrigued by the soot and rust on a camping tea kettle to the intricate lines in broken pieces of bark. The key to my process is starting out without expectations of what I may find. I stop and take pause to enjoy the environment around me and really afford myself the luxury of time to enjoy the particular moment. Once something catches my attention a series of thoughts and questions emerge. What made me stop and stare? What’s so different or special about this particular subject? Is it the color? Shape? Texture? How does it interact with the things immediately around it? How does it change within different angles of natural light? How does my perspective change if I move closer or far away? These are some of the questions that I pose and they often lead me to search deeper within the essence of the subject.”

How do you translate and communicate your experience through art?

“My pieces have a story behind them typically starting with sketching and photographs that I take while exploring found patterns in nature. The essence of my work starts with a visceral and emotional connection in response to either a particular thought, concept, or engagement within the environment. A combination of asymmetric geometrics layered with variations of texture and color are used to express and convey my experience developed during artistic interpretation or initial engagement with the subject. Given that my completed works are abstract in nature, my concentration is more focused on conveying an overall feeling or mood versus simply representing a particular subject.”

How has training as a physical therapist helped you in discovering your creative style and voice?

“I’ve been a physical therapist for almost 20 years. When you have done something for that long it just innately becomes a part of you. As a therapist, I am constantly tasked with breaking down and analyzing how one structure interacts or is related to the function of another. I believe the same skills that I have developed over the years have allowed me to search for the relationships of lines and shapes within some everyday objects and minuscule environmental elements surrounding us.”


About Esther Shavon

Esther Shavon currently shares her fine art and textile designs through her creative studio, E’FLOMAE. Her art work can currently be seen in the home of private collectors, Tucson International Airport exhibit, and through NYC Garment District’s “Art Elevated” series on Lamp Posts throughout the Garment District.

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  • Dyna Lang
    Posted at 17:38h, 20 October Reply

    I enjoyed reading how living intentionally can help “connect the dots” of your life and help the transition from where you are to where you ought to be!

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