Emma Curley - University of Wolverhampton

Emma-Jade Curley

Course BA (Hons) Fine Art
emma_curley@hotmail.com
https://www.instagram.com/emma_jade_art_/?hl=en
https://emma-jade.myportfolio.com

"I am an emerging artist from Stafford, moving down to Southampton. I paint with oils on canvases that are varied in size. Following on from my BA (Hons) in Fine Art, I am hoping to get into a Master's Degree in Art Conservation, specifically the Conservation of Easel Paintings."

Flowers are elegant, alluring but also incredibly delicate. Capturing that beauty and preserving flowers in time in a painting is my objective. Each flower throughout time has carried its own unique message, from the Victorian era to the present day. In the art world, flowers held many different meanings, white lilies represent purity and were included in scenes of the Annunciation to the Virgin, representing her purity as a virgin.

Referencing the lighting and formation of 17th Century Dutch still life painting and the influence of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Vincent Van Gogh, Anya Gallaccio, and Mat Collishaw, I use the historical interpretation, allegory, and status of flowers in still life painting as a metaphor for a hidden Contemporary narrative surrounding the notion of family and self-growth. I use Chiaroscuro to create a dramatic scene and a sense of importance to certain flowers. I also reflect on how my family members each played a role as I grew up and the traumas that were out of my control, emphasized through the positioning of the flowers and the direction of the light source. I equally give thought to my mental health and how it is grown and developed.