Exhibition Statement

The sensitivities of the human lived experience often feel like too much to verbalise, so by using her practice to process and understand past experiences, she tackles loose themes of trauma, reclaiming identity and grief.

Conveying conflicting and intense emotion, her work shows a struggle and fragility that connects us all as humans in our endeavour to push forward and find solace from the harsher parts of life. Finding comfort in ambiguity and the vagueness of less visibly recognisable shape allows space for the mind to wonder and be guided in drifting in this emotive space, encouraging healing for both the artist and viewer. The paintings are not intentionally abstract but use shapes that suggest a sense of figuration to give the opportunity to express something larger. Through making the works, versions of past memories become fossilised on the canvas, which allows for the artist to find relief. Poetry is approached much in the same way as they support each other in the process of making the work and allows for a clearer understanding of the themes.

Decisions are often intuitive, as painting is a meditative practice for her, sensitive shapes and forms found in elements of memories or nature are sought out to visually depict complicated, past events or conceived narrative. Through the trial and error of painting, eventually the painting reveals itself and connects with the emotions being conveyed.

Emily was raised in rural Somerset and often used to expressively draw the landscape to process and have an awareness of her state of mind. Natural shapes and colour still find its way into her work as a vessel to house human feeling and what is often too complicated to be described in a linear way. While there are a few key themes which run through this body of work, there are none more important than the clear need to convey and understand the emotive conscious or occasionally subconscious feelings through painting.