Space outside and within
For years artist Emma Marie has gone for early morning walks, fascinated by the stars, the clouds and the changing sky.
‘‘It puts life into perspective and is a reminder of how microscopic we actually are,’’ she says.
It’s one of the many influences for her new exhibition, Spaciousness, which opens at Nelson gallery Atelier on Friday.
‘‘Spaciousness can be internal or external,’’ she says. ‘‘It can be decluttering of thoughts and feelings to let go of the old and make room to cultivate more of the positive.’’
Her layered acrylic works include highly detailed representations of planets and nebulas set against abstract backgrounds. There is a play on opposites – dark and light, order and chaos, obvious and hidden.
She used unorthodox tools such as a spatula, wire brush and spray bottle, and says her process started from a place of ‘‘what if . . .?’’ Emma Marie says caring for her terminally ill mother Suzan, who died from breast cancer last year, was another influence on her art; the act of creating was an outlet that she says kept her grounded and stable during a harrowing time.
She graduated with excellence from the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology’s Bachelor of Visual Arts course in 2005, and has also studied psychology, fashion, textile and graphic design.
Her previous exhibition, Nowness, in 2020 marked a shift away from the highly realistic paintings she had done – ‘‘the abstract was a rebellion’’.
Her only regret is that her mother, who had been her No 1 supporter on her artistic path, won’t be at the exhibition opening.
‘‘She has come to all my shows and would have loved to have been here. But in a way she’s here through these works.’’
Spaciousness at the Atelier Studio Gallery until August 13.