EMMA HARRISON

To paint is to free your soul, to find peace in a special place, in the here and now. Your only worry being your next colour choice, your brush stroke and where you will put the paint. I paint what I’m feeling; often inspired by a lazy sunset, a bronze dawn, the shimmer on the sea or a beautiful crisp morning. 

My style is raw and self trained; from humble beginnings and evolving through years of the peace and pleasure of placing colour next to colour. Whether on paper, in a colouring book, painting wine bottles (clearly an 80’s child), pebbles, hardboard and eventually showcasing my work on larger canvas. My energy and emotion take the lead. Intuitively, without a plan or pre-sketched composition, I lay the first colour and let the magic begin. Then it flows, and it’s then and there, in those moments, I am free. My soul laid bare, raw as the emotion was then. The art is who I am. The art is me.

My studio is perfectly situated at the back of our home; originally a simple lean-to, morphing into an industrious working space in the Garden of England. My love of colours, nature and beautiful skies have grown, nurturing a desire to blossom as an artist. It’s been the best part of my 50 years. Oil paints and abstract energy is where I find myself today. Preferring to paint on canvas or board, following years of hobby painting with left over household paints, then acrylics, encouraged always by my husband. In 2023, I was blessed to meet Dani Humberstone, a fine artist, who became my mentor. Twelve months of intense painting, practising and learning techniques have given me a new-found freedom to create pieces I am proud of. With this passion and energy, I feel my art is ready to share with the world. My work was first humbly hung in 21 London Road at my employers’ salon; an exceptional dip in the ocean for me. The truly positive feedback, compliments and sales excited me, just as a child awaiting that proverbial ‘gold star’. Now my dreams are materialising; my inspiration and passion soaring, as I prepare for my first gallery exhibition. A collaboration with the Van Gogh Gallery in Madrid, with 3 of my pieces being selected for the Barcelona Art Fair this April, is the energy behind my latest collection.