Studio Sessions
For the Former Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year contestant Emma-Leone Palmer, the past few months surprisingly haven’t been much different than the norm! After the initial shock of lockdown, Emma quickly found her feet again, being left with an insatiable, creative urge to paint. Her recent Afterglow series was influenced by the classical elements: fire, water, air, earth and spirit. Emma draws upon the symbol of the lotus, a beautiful flower that grows in challenging conditions, unfurling its petals in mud and pond water. The symbolism of her work is apt for the current crisis, leaving us with a strong message of hope. When creating these hypnotic pieces, Emma allows her subjects to interact organically with pliable lighting strips and neon wires, capturing the futuristic otherness of the body by exploring each subject’s intimate connection with energy. It is Emma’s free-spirited approach that really allows each of her pieces to have their own flow and personality. #PortraitsforNHSHeroes campaign. Launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the campaign saw hundreds of artists across the country volunteer to create portraits of the brave NHS workers saving lives on the frontline. We recently managed to catch up with Emma to talk to her about her art and how lockdown affected her. Firstly, what has it been like working in the studio over the past few months? I moved my studio out of London a few years go to an industrial unit within walking distance of home, so it was easy to keep creating. Artists are Like our other artist, Nigel Mason, Emma was able to get involved with the touching
essentially lone beings; we spend most of our time within the worlds of our creations, so lockdown, in a sense, was familiar territory: isolation and insane desire tied in with massive uncertainty and a fierce, fervent passion. Has your art helped you cope with the difficult times we faced in lockdown? Art shines light into our dark recesses, and it is often in these dark corners of our souls where the strange magic sings. Being in my studio, surrounded by paint and colour and endless possibilities, kept me going. My brushes were my swords, music my vitamins. Armed and alive, channelling all that hope into each paint stroke was my defiance against this wretched virus. We will not be made to feel small; human spirit is bigger than that. How did getting involved in the #PortraitsforNHSHeroes campaign make you feel? Painting Nurse Kat for the Portraits for NHS Heroes campaign was my way of giving thanks back. After this, my large canvas came out and the music was turned up even further. There is a massive parallel between the energies of my work and the way in which many of our inner dialogues have undulated throughout this difficult time. The otherworldly essence is born of internal reflection, self-nurture, stillness, growth and a Gaia-esque femininity that metamorphosises into a primal, warriorlike zeal – and damn don’t we have that in buckets!
78 FINE ART COLLECTOR AUTUMN/WINTER 2020
FINE ART COLLECTOR AUTUMN/WINTER 2020 79
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