We Heart first met Emma Howell back in 2018, having lost her father a couple of years earlier and confiding how that painting had been her saviour. “I lived in a world that I can only describe as a Salvador Dali painting,” she told us. “Fortunately, I escaped this hallucination of life by painting. It was the only thing I could do to quieten my troubled thoughts and soothe my mental pain.”
Four years later, we caught up with the Cotswold artist on the eve of a solo show at Cheltenham’s Sixteen Gallery; New Terrain a reflective exploration of the self that included a tribute to her former bass playing father in the shape of a guitar painted in collaboration with British custom guitar builders, Munson Guitars.
Whilst the loss of a parent can never be forgotten, time is indeed a great healer, and six years since we first spoke with Howell, she continues to use that loss as an inspiration and impetus for her artistic practice; “hardships,” she tells us, “really are a privilege, because they give us life lessons, resilience, strength and life experience.” Currently putting the finishing touches to a new exhibition that will open 28 June, again at Sixteen Gallery, the artist continues to evolve with work that embraces and embodies loss, hardships and the depths of the human psyche.
On show until 10 July, Soul will showcase a collection of Emma’s work that has come to be synonymous with her style: her meditation paintings, large bold abstracts on hand-stretched canvas, still life paintings of solo chairs, and another collaboration with Munson Guitars, all of her work still in dedication to her father. “I want viewers to feel inspired, liberated and comforted when they see the paintings,” Howell continues, “a reminder that you can get through anything, a reminder to meditate, to take a breath.”
An emotional exploration of mental health, coping mechanisms and how creative pursuits can be a powerful tool in the process of healing, Emma Howell’s Soul will be open to all between 28 June and 10 July, 2024 at Sixteen Gallery, Cheltenham.
All images © Emma Howell.
