Creativity Explored announces new Collaboration with Plunge
Artist Elana Cooper stands in front of her towel created in collaboration with Plunge. Photo by Ann Kappes, Director of Art Partnerships.
Creativity Explored’s new collaboration with Plunge features CE artist Elana Cooper’s characteristic and striking floral silhouettes! This limited-edition terrycloth towel is woven with four of Cooper’s original flower paintings and is available on our partner’s website.
Elana is known for her vibrant and bold graphics, especially her strong floral silhouettes. Drawing from a journal of flowers, Cooper has created her modern floral silhouettes with ink, watercolor, acrylic and even as 3-D wood cutout sculptures. Cooper's popular floral silhouettes have been licensed by Open Editions and commissioned as large-scale public murals by State Bird Provisions. Her iconic flower designs were re-imagined in large-scale for Of Here From There | De Aquí Desde Allá, an interactive digital installation created in partnership with Ana Teresa Fernández in 2020. In describing her inspiration for her flowers, Elana said that “I look at drawings of flowers in my book or on my phone. The shape attracts me.” Elana Cooper’s beautiful floral images created in four original paintings now lives on in this limited edition towel!
The four original artworks used in “Flower Power”, Elana Cooper’s new towel collaboration with Plunge
Plunge was excited to work with Elana specifically because of these bold flowers and graphic compositions. Jessica Thornton Murphy, Plunge Founder, said, “I was drawn to the way Elana studies her flowers so carefully before painting them and then captures their nuances so beautifully. In the towel, I wanted to create a sort of ‘garden’ of her flower silhouettes and felt that these four paintings represent the range of shapes and emotion found throughout her work. Although she is most well known for her black and white paintings, Elana often uses a lot of color so I was excited that she chose this electric pink and blue color combination.”
“Since starting at Creativity Explored in 2013, making art has been a way for me to translate and process the way I see the world.”
Elana Cooper wrapped in her “Flower Power” towel next to founder and collaborator, Jessica Thornton Murphy. Photo by Ann Kappes, Director of Art Partnerships.
“Flower Power” towel showcased in front of the Conservatory of Flowers. Photo by Jessica Thornton Murphy.
“This project has been an amazing opportunity to collaborate with artists I already admired, as well as to get to know the works of new artists I wasn’t already familiar with. Each Plunge towel is a limited edition of an original artwork and shares the style, voice, and perspective of the artist. There’s also a fun, light-hearted element in making an art piece that people will take with them to the beach or park or shower and get to use all the time… it feels so energizing to be able to create something special together and promote rising artists in this unique way.”
In celebration of Creativity Explored’s 40th anniversary, the organization will partner with Plunge to create four unique towel designs featuring artwork from CE artists. Keep an eye out to see future collaborations between CE artists and Plunge. Jessica shared, “I’m excited that over the course of this year I’ll get to know the work of four different CE artists, each with their own unique, distinctive style and perspective. I’m really looking forward to translating those into functional limited-editions and sharing them with our community and beyond. It’s an honor for Plunge to be a part of Creativity Explored’s 40th anniversary year and for CE’s artists to join the Plunge family!”
You can read more about the collaboration, more about Elana’s process, and even listen to a playlist of Elana’s favorite music, in her Artist Spotlight on Plunge’s website.
Interested in purchasing a towel? You can buy one online at Plunge, or you can visit CE at the Ferry Building Holiday Art Pop-Up Shop running each Saturday and Sunday from November 19 through December 18, 2022.
Watch Elana Cooper’s animation “I Like Flowers” (2022).
About Plunge Towels
Plunge is a California-based collection of limited edition, artist-designed towels for bath and the sea; created to uplift emerging and established artists while also making usable, accessible art.
