“Will be back – with my cheque book – but without my husband!”
EMILY GREGORY SMITHThe Rheidol river and its surrounding valley near my home are a familiar and constant motif in my painting. I am intrigued by the many rich textures and moods of this area; horizon and sky endlessly configuring new possibilities, glints of flooded river, distant hedgerow patterns fading to sky. Combining the poetic qualities of landscape with the physicality of oil paint, I try to evoke a sense - and a sensation - of this elusive place as dynamically as possible.My small coastal paintings have been an ongoing project, alongside other work, for several years - drawing on my experiences of the West Wales coast and also of Cornwall and Pembrokeshire. Emily Gregory-Smith lives near Aberystwyth, where she has been based since moving from Cambridgeshire six years ago. She graduated with an MA in Fine Art from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, in 2005, having also studied in Leeds and Madrid. She is a member of artist's group Fforma, and Aberystwyth Printmakers. |