For the latest edition of The Style Sheet’s Day in the Life series, we discover what it takes to be the multitalented Hong Kong-based muralist and visual artist Elsa Jean de Dieu. The brains behind her eponymous business, Elsa Jean de Dieu studio, Elsa has created some of the city’s most recognisable (and Instagrammable) wall art, street art and large scale murals, including the graphic feature wall at TMK Rap & Roll in Starstreet Precinct.
Morning
‘I wake up at six to make a good cup of coffee, and spend the next two hours playing with my son Noam and re-learning life through his eyes. I might grab a second takeaway coffee, and then I’m often on the go until at least lunch, usually at on-site projects. For murals and wall art projects, the length of time we spend on them can vary according to the scale and the style, but most take between three and ten days to execute, while the design usually takes a month or two. When on site, I’m often working with a couple of members of my team, Carol Bellese Choi and Angel Chiu, both of whom work with me on our different creative elements such as painting, working in Illustrator and preparing presentations.’
Muralist and visual artist Elsa Jean de Dieu in her Wong Chuk Hang studio
‘The morning might also be spent in the studio working on our second business, On Paper Lab, which I co-founded with Carol to offer a curated selection of affordable high-quality art prints and posters. I love to listen to music while working as much as possible too. Music is a huge part of my daily life, and I can’t live without it — it’s the main way I separate myself from the world and reconnect with my creativity. It either helps me to focus or disconnect. I have the most eclectic library, as I enjoy listening to different styles and rhythms according to what I’m doing, but recently I’ve been listening a lot to more instrumental world music.’
Lunch
‘When I’m working at the workshop in Wong Chuk Hang, you might see me running to Repulse Bay, which is my favourite run in the area as it’s along the sea, and probably the easiest as it’s completely flat! If it’s a day when we’re working on-site, we find somewhere to have a quick and light lunch nearby.’