Biography
Emma Lamb (b.1988) is a contemporary artist based in South Devon, UK. Graduating at The Winchester School of Art in 2009 she then completed a PGCE in Arts Education at Bath Spa University in 2013.
Emma worked as an Art Teacher and Arts Educator for many years in a variety of settings whilst establishing her practice, exhibiting at The Wine Street Gallery, Wiltshire, Brick Lane, London, The Museum of Bath at Work The Victoria Art Gallery, Bath’s, Summer Show and Delamore Arts. Emma’s work was also featured on the BBC’s coverage of The RHS Chelsea flower show in garden ‘A City Haven’, which won a gold and best in show and was most recently on the new series of The Hotel Inspector on Channel 5.
In 2019 Emma re-located to South Devon to focus on her art practice full time being drawn into the county’s rugged and diverse landscapes which inspire her art. She works full time in her studio whilst teaching art projects and workshops alongside her practice.
Artist Statement
I am fascinated by the primal instinct we have to be close to nature; the joy and peace we feel in its presence, both physically and mentally.
I see my work as an emotional response to this instinct; an intimate landscape that mimics and amplifies nature, transporting the viewer to a place of wonder, evoking emotion and intrigue.
My thought-provoking 3D organic pieces are built on different levels, layered with meaning and history, incorporating foraged plants, raw pigments, minerals and natural fibres, where nature is not merely an inspiration, but an essential part of the work itself-a "trace of place" embedded in every creation.
I manipulate the materials I use in such a way that they behave visually like living eco-systems and organisms, where paper castings transform into eroded, excavated archaeological fragments breathing life into the ghostly, fossil like plants and creatures. The pieces juxtaposed elements explore the yin and yan of life. The Yin or the void of negative space, desaturated cavities, earth minerals and shadow; representing decay, erosion and fossilisation. The Yang, where regeneration begins and resilience prevails, with colourful living organisms peeking through the bleached exteriors like new life bursting out through old remains. There is a delicate balance where the past, present and future interplay, allowing us room to contemplate What was, what is and what could be if we fail to address the current climate crisis.
The work's finer details, forms and textures reflect what we see when we look at our surroundings from different viewpoints. My work has a multi-angled approach From topographical ariel views to tiny microscopic details, I am intrigued by what we see when we give ourselves the time and space from our busy lives to watch and observe the natural world. Slowing down helps us to appreciate the symbiotic relationship between life forms and to also notice the impact of man on our precious planet. It is an eye opening experience observing nature from new perspectives, whether it is up close peering into a glassy rock pool or spotting microplastics along the shore line. Or standing back from afar at the top of a mountain or on a plane seeing the world in abstraction and pattern. Gazing in wonder, being small in the worlds vast expanse. It is through this stillness that we notice the abundance or absence of difference places on earth and species of plants and creatures. We realise that these environments are beautiful but fleeting, evolving and under increasing threat from human activity.
Process
The creative process starts with me immersing myself in the wilderness; cold water swimming, wild camping and foraging, whilst admiring the power and beauty of the outdoors. This is my 'happy place’. On my travels I gather nuggets of inspiration for my work in the form of photographs, plants and microplastics as well as earth and rocks to be made into pigments.
In recent years I have been reflecting on my own impact on our planet as an artist; looking at the harmful toxins and plastics that so many art materials contain. I am on a journey to find alternative materials, that are not only more eco friendly but also layer my work with meaning and history, embedding unusual materials such as, raw pigments, to make paints, invasive plant species/ recycled fibres to make paper and working with ink made from carbon emissions.
My work comes to life in my studio, where I embrace the process of sketching, ripping, printing, pulping, burning and manipulating surfaces. Exploration and play are at the heart of my approach. I enjoy pushing the boundaries and possibilities of the mediums I work with, experimenting with a wide variety of unusual techniques and processes. The physical act of grinding, pulping and processing foraged pigments and fibres into my own paints, inks and hand-made paper excite me, giving my work authenticity and presence. My whole process is a dance between control and unpredictability, intuition and analysis; mirroring our relationship with nature and ulimately what it is to be human.
