Emma is proud to have been born and raised in rural West Sussex, at the foot of the South Downs. Her intimate relationship to her home, to nature, and to this beautiful part of the world shapes her work. A lifetime spent outdoors, whether working as a carpenter, tree surgeon, building her own home, or becoming adept at coppicing – has fundamentally shaped Emma’s personality and work. Thus her love for, and knowledge of the local English countryside shines through all her pieces. Inspired by the work of Ivon Hitchens who was based at Lavington Common, next to her family home, her landscape paintings tend to focus on ancient woodlands and specifically on places she knows well.
“I attempt to capture the essence of my surroundings. I start with charcoal sketches on paper, outside, to get a feel for what I am seeing. I find it helps me to get to know a place well. If I have an emotional connection with a place, that is what draws me in. There is a depth that I want to draw out, to capture. There is something in it, a story, even a history, that when I walk through the place, I am gripped and held by the atmosphere it conveys. It is there, you don’t forget it.”
Emma is also a keen explorer with a huge appetite to discover some lesser-known corners of the world. This sense of exploration shines through her work: a style which is under constant evolution and yet firmly rooted, as she is, in the Downs. Jamison’s aim, in carefully observing these new environments is to encourage and feed her artistic development – perhaps opening doors to new techniques or ways to interrogate her style. Her aim throughout is to keep her work fresh and to constantly grow creatively, whilst maintaining the core elements of her signature style.
When painting, Jamison aims “to lay down in paint a feeling, capturing the glow, the soul of the place, onto her canvas”. Her work will take the viewer through many landscapes, using a broad palette of colours, and techniques from surrealism to the semi-abstract, whilst all the time developing her “visual voice” and artistic identity.
