Emma Dunbar – Harbours and Houses

August has finally enveloped us in the warm blanket air of summer, the sea is sparkling and the skies are a deep hue of dusted cobalt blue. Emma Dunbar’s work is an ode to the bright colours of this season, as everything feels that bit brighter and enriching. Electric reds and yellow are juxtaposed by earthier tones throughout the collection, however, the radiant joy of multicoloured flowers and patterned crockery prevails.

Emma challenged herself with this new collection to create works that didn’t include her staple bunch of flowers. It’s an exciting treat to see a range of landscapes, many with the inclusion of animals. The gentle muted buildings offer a patchwork setting to the vivid foregrounds. Charming boats sit at obscure angles with rainbow-coloured hulls whilst seagulls, cats and dogs offer placid characters interacting with these intriguing landscapes. The movement and life within Emma’s work is plentiful with wildflowers overflowing and obscured elements perched upon wonky tables or abstracted land. It is therefore the inclusion of pets and livestock that often anchor the scenes with a perceived perspective.

The largest piece within this collection offers a subtle palette of taupe and lilac. Hints of fluorescent orange outline the abstracted vases and muted floating lemons accompany a selection of diversly textured flowers. Large white peonies pervade the foreground, intertwined by textured leaves whilst the dainty, almost translucent buttercups offer gentle relief in a monotone jug.

Wildflowers twist and interweave in a myriad of colours, often commanding a larger space than the window of the canvas allows. However, other works incorporate the space as its own entity, small tonal changes or contrasting patches of colour invite you to analyse every inch to ensure a detail is not missed. Visible brush marks counter the almost collaged quality to Emma’s work, making her presence and the process the ever more clear within the final outcome. These full and inviting pieces are the quintessential embodiment of summer joy. – Sophie Castle