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Emma Copley

Newmarket
Emma Copley (b. 1979 Dublin, Ireland) is an artist based in East Anglia UK who works in oil paint and charcoal to create figurative work, landscapes and portraits on paper and wood panel.
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Glimpses of the everyday and human connection are on going threads within my work. Each painting is inspired by everyday life: a dark sink full of dishes with the sun coming in the window, or my son and daughter sitting with their backs to me, watching TV. I take pictures of these moments; make notes on colour and sketch. Using the photo as a starting point I create the composition on panel and eliminate areas from the image in order to intensify the emotion.

My largest works are 14 metres long and smallest 15 x 22 centimetres. My paintings begin with muted tones, using greys tinted with primary colour, ending with an infusion of bright colour that relates closely to these. I spend a lot of time looking at my palette and mixing groups of colour. Brushstrokes vary between smooth, slow, thoughtful marks and fast, thick layers of paint.

I paint and draw with thick oils on wood; smooth, flat gouache; ink and charcoal on paper. When using oils, I paint quickly with a palette knife spreading globs of paint on a smooth hard surface, wet into wet, carving out forms and building up texture.

 

Loch Hyne, Cork, Ireland

Green

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