Suffolk scenes & a solo exhibition

Getting ready for something exciting!

Lazy days without a plan, preferably in Suffolk- are the best! Last week I spent a blissful week on my own in a little barn. It’s a regular thing I do, I treat it like an artists retreat. I pack my art materials but find I only ever take photos, I like to have them though- just in case, but reality is- I’ll soak up the atmosphere and paint when I get home. I spent all of the hot weekend painting as I was just so inspired! It’s the feeling of a place that gets me, the emotions that run through me when I’m somewhere I find truly beautiful. I see beauty in the melancholy of the Suffolk landscape- the floods of lost villages taken by the sea, the way the light plays on the wide open landscape and the textures and tones of nature. I take home the emotion of the place and I paint that. I’m not into painting fashionable pieces or keeping up with the times, I have zero interest in that. I paint timeless art with a contemporary edge. I love the works of Turner and Constable. Anyway, let me share some of my favourite images with you. I visited Dunwich and Walberswick- two of my favourite places for the melancholy vibes.

I’m really drawn to the heather at Dunwich and I’ve just started an oil painting to reflect this.

I didn’t pack the big camera, instead I had fun shooting through filters on my stories in IG and then saving them to my phone. I love doing this as I can paint a mood over the landscape of the feeling that it evokes in me, I’ll then use these images when I’m back in my studio for reference. We all see the world differently, the same view will look different to every one of us, it will affect us all differently- it makes our outlook a unique one. As an artist, it’s what makes artwork unique- when you’re not following a trend, just painting what you feel. I have a tendency to reflect on simple times of the past, my nostalgic thoughts are a comfort to me and my work has a certain nostalgia to it. The colours I use and the way I use them.

I’m painting in oils at the moment and listening to The Summer Portraits by Ludovico Einaudi, his music inspires my work as I feel the ethereal sounds seep into my soul, the oil moves in fluid pools around the canvas. I don’t tend to use brushes when I paint in oils, I’m too immediate and use my fingers instead, I’ll also pour turps onto the canvas and move it around, watching it flow with this turn and that.

I’m gearing up to my solo exhibition WILD. The name just popped in there as it embodies all of my work- connected to the landscape. I would love to see you there! Aldeburgh is a lovely seaside town in Suffolk with so much to do and some lovely places to stay- so why not make a holiday of it. The exhibition runs from the 3rd-7th of October and I will be there running it so we can meet in person.

I’m thinking of separating my newsletter posts into art ones, like what I’m up to and my creative musings. I’m not sure how I do this yet but I’ll keep you posted.

Emma x