Downtime Interview w/ Linden Eller
“By incorporating elements that carry their own history, collage is a process of weaving together a communal story”
— Linden Eller, 2025
1) LOCATION?
I currently live in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. 🇺🇸
2) YEARS COLLAGING?
I started working with collage 20 years ago while receiving my BA in Studio Art.
3) WHAT DO YOU LOVE AND DISLIKE ABOUT COLLAGE?
Collage is about discovery, placement, and giving new lives to common or ignored fragments. By incorporating elements that carry their own history, collage is a process of weaving together a communal story. It beckons observers to pay attention - that loveliness can be restored, resurfaced, retold.
4) BIGGEST INFLUENCES?
Robert Rauschenberg, Joan Mitchell, Cy Twombly.
Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's words: "An interesting plainness is the most difficult and precious thing to achieve.”
5) ANALOG VS DIGITAL, PROS & CONS?
I've never worked in digital collage! I have used Procreate on my iPad to occasionally map out the final marks / critical composition decisions, and I do think it can be a helpful tool. Ultimately though, I work in collage because it's analogue. There is so much of our world now that is digitally based, so any opportunity to have a tangible experience - one you can touch, smell, hear - feels really important. For me, using analogue fragments also adds a layer of intimacy - these pieces have a birth, have traveled, have lived - are a l i v e - and by including them in an artwork, I'm honoring and illuminating their narratives.
6) THREE TIPS FOR SOMEONE STARTING OUT IN COLLAGE?
Play / courage / play.
There are no rules.
Pay attention (notice light, notice secrets in your materials, notice how you feel).
7) HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR DOWNTIME?
If I'm fully honest, this is not a season of much downtime! Between work, school (I recently started a Masters in Art Therapy program), studio, and motherhood, my days are rather brimful. But I do adore picnicking, homemade anything, mending, reading, and a good long sleep.
8) WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR ART PRACTICE HEADING?
I've been experimenting with cold wax lately, as a precursor to encaustic - a process I've adored for years and years but haven't had the proper space and time to fully explore. So I definitely see that in my future. I'm also passionately interested in the intersection between art, psychology, and mental health, so I think focusing on themes that surface that connection for people will be a meaningful direction for my work to take.
Mycology, Mixed media on paper, 9 x 12" 2024
9) WHAT THREE ARTISTS SHOULD WE CHECK OUT?
Judy Tuwaletstiwa, Gina Gimenez, Elise Peroi
10) WHAT MUSIC ARE YOU LOVING RIGHT NOW?
I float around from folk to jazz to ambient to field recordings. Last played song: The Ramble by Cassandra Jenkins
11) UP-AND-COMING EXHIBITIONS OR PROJECTS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?
I'm working on three series at the moment, involving large works on canvas and wood panel - one exploring quilting points, one on themes of submersion/ surfacing, and one on spaciousness. I'm hoping to finish up one of them soon to exhibit in 2026. I'm also teaching a monthly process-based studio class in collaboration with Vital Spaces in Santa Fe. And always pouring a lot of intention into my Patreon community. ♡
See more 👀
Gram: @lindeneller
Web: lindeneller.com
Patreon: lindeneller
