Original artwork description:

This is another "urban folk" painting - a style of painting I have been developing recently, expressionist people portraits from real life in the area near me here in Swansea, Wales. I try to catch the pathos of every day life and hope the paintings tell a story to the viewer. Uplands is a busy area in Swansea, full of shops, bars, coffee shops - where one can shop, eat, drink, listen to music, socialize and be merry.
I hope I catch the start of that evening bustle is this painting.
The cars coming into town, while the older gentleman returns home with his evening supplies and younger people appear to chat in the street. The constant coming and going and intermingling of activity.
Different people doing different things on the same city street.
This is why we love the city, the constant activity and the wide variety of people and characters, always something to catch our eye and imagination.


This is a signature type of painting for me - painting people walking around in their everyday lives. Painting moods, anticipations and atmospheres. Creating presence and pathos.

"Emma's paintings paintings are lively and capture the fleeting moments of day and night in the Swansea streets. A very strong visual impact is derived from bold blocks of colours and an expressive palette that is widely used in modern art and pop art. The cinematic compositions and dramatic use of light and dark in her artworks, particularly in those night scenes where I observe some tranquility and alienation in a busy city, almost draw a subtle connection to the pieces of Edward Hopper.

I particularly like the figurative works which I think capture the everyday nuances of normal people going about their daily life"

Rise Art - Insiders Review

Materials used:

oil painting on linen canvas

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