Creative Spotlight | Emma Kelly
Published on 10 March 2022
Tell us a bit about who you are and what kind of creative work you make.
I am a 49-year-old acrylic painter with a passion for creating artworks full of bold colors and strong geometric shapes. All my artwork is illustrative in style, featuring a vast array of subjects from birds to portraits, to still- life and to quirky houses. My paintings come in all different sizes as well.
How does your personal history influence your art?
I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 2014, but it wasn’t until 2023 that I used art as a therapeutic tool to help me deal with this mental health disorder. Around this time, I started to attend numerous community courses to improve my skill in this medium. I have also attended TAFE. Art is an ideal creative outlet that allows me to express my emotions I’m dealing with on a day-to-day basis. Basically, with art I can communicate on the page or canvas, whatever mood I’m in.
What has been highlight of your career so far?
Being selected for group exhibitions and competitions is always something I’m proud of. As well in March 2025 I won the Feel Good Art Prize at the Quadrant Gallery in Hawthorne Melbourne. This included an Art Prize of $5000 and was judged by Corbett Lyon, Dr Damian Smith and Tony Jackson.
What’s your favourite part of working as an artist?
When I paint time passes so quickly as I am fully emersed in my subject matter and a flow develops. With art I really enjoy the process, and I often sit down and paint anything I feel like. Right now, I am painting small flowers in vases with bright texturized colours as well as abstract nature birds outlined in black.
Whereabouts do you look out for your creative ideas?
I constantly use Google Searches online to explore all the different kinds of artworks out there for inspiration as well as books. I also use themes set by group exhibitions and competitions to give me guidance as to what to paint. As well I rely on feedback from my art teachers to help me create the best possible artwork. I visit galleries to get inspiration, Australian artists such as Ken Done and Maragaret Preston are among my favorites.
Are there any special processes, techniques or tools you use to make your creative work?
Although in the past I have worked with watercolor and oils, acrylic paint is the medium I like to use the best. Acrylics allow me to create stand-out colors and layer for texture. I also do pencil drawings, here I use thick definite lines with occasional strong shading.
Where can we find out about more of your work and get in touch?
The best place to see daily updates of my artwork is on my Instagram:
@artworksbyemmak
I also have a website on www.artworksbyemmak
My email address is emmak9825@gmail.com