Emma Jeffryes
Painting On paper
Inspired by the coastline around St Ives Bay, Emma’s paintings express the beauty and vitality of the West Cornwall coast. In her work, spring flowers, bright umbrellas and dazzling waters are framed against the simple shapes of sky, sea and sand. Emma’s talent with colour and the lively characterization of people and places have made her work among the most recognized and best loved in Cornwall.
Emma was born in 1967 and studied Printed Textiles at Middlesex University before completing an MA in Textile Design at the Royal College of Art. She began her career as a freelance textile designer, but relocated to St Ives in 1997 to become a full-time painter. Her very first collection was exhibited here at New Craftsman Gallery, and for the last eight years she has opened our exhibition season with her annual solo exhibition. In 2012 she was commissioned to create an exclusive collection of items for the Tate Gallery St. Ives, based on her lively paintings.
Exhibitions: 2000 Chelsea Art Fair with Beside The Wave Gallery; 2000 Easter Exhibition, Rock Institute, Cornwall; 2000 The Gallery Upstairs, Torquil, Warwickshire; 2001 The Sea Show, Thompsons Gallery, London; 2001 Fowey River Gallery, Fowey; 2001 The Rainy Day Gallery, Penzance, Cornwall; 2002 Rock Institute, Cornwall; 2002 The Cornish Show, Thompsons, London; 2002 Living in Cornwall, Beside the Wave Gallery, Cornwall; 2003 Easter Exhibition, Rock Institute, Cornwall; 2005 Easter Exhibition, Rock Institute, Cornwall ;2005 Summer Blue, Solo Show, The New Craftsman, St Ives; 2006 Easter Exhibition, Rock Institute, Cornwall; 2006 Summer Mixed Exhibition, Beside the Wave Gallery; 2007 Easter Exhibition, Rock Institute, Cornwall; 2008 Spring Collection, Gallery at Tresco, Scilly Isles; 2009 Winter to Spring solo show, The New Craftsman, St Ives; 2009 Summer Collection, Gallery Tresco, Scilly Isles; 2009 Summer Show, Beside the Wave Gallery; 2010 Solo show New Craftsman Gallery; 2011 Solo Show New Craftsman Gallery; 2012 Solo Show New Craftsman Gallery; 2013 Solo Show New Craftsman Gallery.
Looking out from Crab Rock is the most spectacular way to watch wave formations, and the sea colours created by the changing tide and weather. It is awe-inspiring to be right there, painting it first-hand in the middle of a Cornish winter. In midsummer, the beautiful stretch of coast path from Headland Road, which curves around the edge of Hawkes Point to Carbis Bay, is abundant with coastal plants, wildflowers and ferns which form a tropical tunnel that I felt compelled to paint. The place where sea meets land makes for delightful subject matter and is a continual source of fascination to me, and even in my still-life paintings I can’t resist a hint of the nautical, if it’s only the placement of one simple boat.
