Emily Thornton moved to Zambia in 2018 following a fine art foundation at Byam Shaw, Central St Martins and a degree in Fine Art at Newcastle University. She now lives and works outside Lusaka.
Building on the themes of temperature, the changes in the seasons and the impact of the sun on the earth, Emily's work explores her emotional response to the landscape. 'Experiences are a series of fleeting moments,' Emily explains, 'a shimmer of heat, the sun hitting your face in the morning, the threads of thoughts born out of simple colours and forms. These ideas and thoughts translate into the studio.'
Revisiting familiar places and exploring new ones adds layers of experience and emotion, bringing greater depth and a wider sense of perspective to her life and work. With Emily's ongoing exploration of colour, there are new landscapes, evolving forms, spaces, marks and shapes emerging through her work.
'Living in Zambia,' Emily says, 'has allowed me to explore a greater sense of self. It has given me the space to connect with myself. I am consciously more grounded.' Amongst 'the landscape, the life, the people, it buzzes with energy.' This tangible enjoyment in the world around her and the opportunity to explore new places, has brought about an evolution. With this growing confidence and sense of self, there has been an outpouring of joy in her painting. 'Letting go of the idea of perfection,' Emily explains, 'the work is bold. Pushing form to the limit of where I feel comfortable, it feels experimental, playful, fully joyful.'
Working on several paintings in one day, Emily's collections of work emerge as a whole. 'From the expression of a pure idea, the simple desire and need to express an idea in form, the develop and inform one another.' Building up the canvas with layers of paint, the underpainting is clearly visible in such intensity and depth of colour. The process is as important as the painting itself. These shadows create the synergy. They complete the journey.'