Mall Galleries celebrates International Women's Day 2025

Please could you introduce yourself?

Hello, my name is Elisha, and I’m a landscape and oil painter. My work explores fire in the landscape, my initial inspiration was scenes of witch burning, and its myriad interpretations. I’m fascinated by how fire can be both destructive and regenerative - how it shapes our environments and our narratives. I'm looking forward to sharing insights into my process as part of my International Women’s Day demonstration.

Please could you tell us a little bit about your practice?

My artistic practice is deeply influenced by stories of fire and funerary rites—the macabre beauty of rituals that traverse joy, reverence, and loss. I am drawn to the way stories and rituals connect us across time and place, creating a shared language of memory and transformation. Through my paintings, I invite viewers to consider the permeable boundary between presence and absence—to linger in these liminal spaces where memory and myth intertwine. I hope to spark meaningful conversations about how we remember, mourn, and celebrate.

What does International Women's Day mean to you?

International Women’s Day is both a celebration and a call to action—a time to honour the achievements of women past and present while acknowledging the work still needed to achieve equality and safety. As an artist, I see it as a moment to amplify the voices of women whose creative contributions have often been overlooked. We have made some progress, but not enough. I feel I’m part of an informal collective of women artists and this is a privilege and a responsibility. As such I seek to document the stories of women, both personal and collective, so that they are viewed, seen and remembered.

Please could you introduce yourself?

I am an oil painter. I live in London but was born in Rochdale, Lancashire, hence the focus on the surrounding landscape of this area of the UK.

I paint sea and landscapes, the inspiration is also taken from the Suffolk coastline. I also paint more figurative works but my main passion is nature. My work is expressive and intuitive and is my personal interpretation and sense of a place rather than a direct copy. I usually use just oil paint but sometimes add oil pastel to add interest.  

In the demo I’ll be showing some initial sketches using reference photos. These primary works are what I use for larger paintings but show my thought process and how I interpret what I see. I’ll be showing how I mix colour and will show what palette I usually go for and why.  

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

The landscape for female artists has seen significant changes and improvements over recent years, but challenges still remain. I feel there’s still a a way to go, there are still disparities in pay and gallery and museum representation. Societies such as the Society of Women Artists are fabulous to ensure equitable opportunities and representation in the arts. I feel very proud to be part of the society and hope as time goes by, things improve even more so for artists and women in general in the workplace.

We will also be joined by Rizza Zahid, a self-taught visual artist currently based in London. She primarily works in ink and charcoal with elements of mixed media to create surreal drawings that delve into the complex dynamics of human relationships and everyday experiences.