I was first drawn to Emily Powell several months ago because of her colorful, bold, quirky designs, but also because of her story - that she used painting as a form of therapy to deal with the death of her father when she was just seven. It was particularly compelling to read about her, because I am still processing the death of my mother in August, 2018. And although I was 57 and not seven when my parent died, I have also found that art heals. It may sound trite, but it is true. Further, my mother was a painter whose oil paintings were also shockingly colorful, creative and unexpected.
If I could live in this house in Brixham, Devon, UK, I would probably be the happiest little camper in the world. But since I cannot and neither can you, we can a) wait until her works become available again on Anthropologie (that's how popular she is, the link says they are no longer available) and b) soak in the view, blow up the images and absorb the brilliance that is Emily Powell.
She began painting during her youthful grief, using vivid colors to depict everyday scenes with a light-hearted energy, with the intention of bringing a smile back into the lives of her grieving family. Since then she has felt her role as an artist is to create work that brings joy to people and into their homes.
The majority of Powell’s paintings are created
en plein air, beginning with sketches made in the countryside or at the beach. As a result, many of her gorgeous works often include tactile and raw evidence of their environment, with particles of sand and salt encrusting the canvas.
As a student of sculpture at Norwich School of Art, Powell’s paintings retain a sculptural quality, the multiple layers of thick, textured paint giving them a gravitas that seems almost counterintuitive in light of the playful colors. Powell studied painting in Paris and Rouen, perfecting her technique with paint on canvas.
She has been accepted into the Royal Society of British Artists annual exhibition, as well as being included in Pastel Society’s annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries earlier this year. She has also had her work shown at START art fair at the Saatchi Gallery and has created designer greeting cards for MOMA NY, British museum, Harrods, Mall Galleries and Bafta.
For more information, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/emilypowellstudios/
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