Archie Rose Spirits Play Canvas to Australian Artist Elliott Routledge
If you’re not familiar with the name Elliott Routledge, you’ve likely spotted one of his vibrant murals. The Australian artist’s large-scale work can be found splashed across inner-city facades from Sydney to Fremantle, and his impressive multidisciplinary practice also extends to sculpture, painting, and now, our very own Archie Rose canvas bags and Tailored Spirits label designs.
Committed to our ongoing support of the local arts and culture scene, we tapped Elliott to create a limited-edition design for our Archie Rose bottle bags and Tailored Spirits, and boy did he deliver. A clever celebration of Australian produce, Elliott’s abstract artwork is inspired by the native Australian botanicals that can be blended in our Tailored Spirits, which is why we’re gifting the bespoke bags to you with any 700ml Tailored Gin or Vodka purchased via the Archie Rose website. For a limited time, we’re also launching Tailored Gin & Vodka labels decorated with Elliott’s unique design—a great gift idea for the art enthusiast in your life.
If you’ve fallen for Elliott’s playful work of art, but have your heart set on one of our Signature or Limited Release Spirits and Bottled Cocktails, rest easy knowing you can also get your hands on the bag by purchasing a 700ml bottle of Archie Rose Signature Dry Gin, Original Vodka, Distiller's Strength Gin, White Rye, Archie Rose x Sydney Opera House Outside & Inside Gins and our Bottled Cocktail range.
To mark the launch of this creative partnership, we caught up with Elliott to chat all things inspiration, collaboration, and his classic drink of choice.
How did you first get into design?
Growing up in a creative household gave me the option to try out lots of different things. We were always encouraged to paint, draw, build, destroy, rebuild and everything in between. Early on, my parents bought us a computer that had a couple of design and music programs on it, so I began experimenting with design at a young age, and then used that as a tool to start creating art.
Tell us about your style…
You could say it’s contemporary abstract. I have a broad range, from painting to sculpture, installation, murals, street experiments and more.
Has your practice evolved over the years?
Evolution is key to anything I do. If I’m not evolving, I’m not moving forward. I originally worked with a lot of pop and figurative styles, but this moved and morphed into what I’m doing currently, and there are things I’m working on now that could form the next stage of my evolution.
What tools and materials do you use to create your artwork?
This is always evolving as well, however for most of my physical artworks the main ingredient is paint. Broadly though, I use paint, canvas, various sculpture materials, brushes, pigment and digital tools like a computer or iPad for illustration and symbol creation.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
It comes from everything, really. A lot of my inspiration these days comes from things that are close to my daily life, whether it’s the texture or pattern of a rock or the colour of a plant or flower from my garden. Visually, everything is up for grabs.
How did you approach the design for Archie Rose Tailored Spirits and canvas bags?
For the bag design I took inspiration from all the ingredients and botanicals that can be mixed together in the Tailored Spirits range. The artwork is meant to look as if someone has chosen a bunch of different ingredients and scattered them all over the bag.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Every day is different. I never really know where I’m going to be until I start the morning off. Some days I’m out installing a mural, and others I’ll be in the studio or sourcing materials, ideas or locations for projects.
Why do you think it’s important to collaborate?
I’ve collaborated with plenty of Australian artists over the years and it has been a big part of my process and life so far. It’s an interesting way to expand on your art and meet other artists, and something I would encourage all other creatives in general to do.
ELLIOTT’S FAST FIVE
Right now I’m drinking… Archie Rose Signature Dry Gin & tonic with lemon and cucumber from my garden.
I can’t stop listening to… Jamie XX mixtapes and ‘90s hip hop.
You may not know that… I was born in Tokyo and watch The Sopranos on repeat whilst painting my canvas work.
The last project I worked on… A three-storey mural in the heart of Sydney using paint that cleans the air.
My advice to emerging artists… Create as much different work as possible to discover your style. Collaborate and meet other artists. If you don’t have any projects on, just start your own.
Elliott’s canvas bag and Tailored Spirits are available from 29 October 2020 via our website or the Archie Rose Cellar Door in Rosebery, while stocks last.
Elliott's new public mural in Sydney, located on the corner of Cathedral and Palmer streets, Woolloomooloo.