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‘It comes in forms of land, people, creatures…. conversations with the world around me, spirit and mortal. The layers and dimensions in a universe of ultimate paradox’s and realities. A heavenly abundance of material, to which the ultimate challenge for me as an artist is what I leave out, not what I must include.’

Beginnings

For almost two decades I have been focused on travel to various parts of the world, mainly on the African continent in what I can only in hindsight resurrect as a homage to the spirit and homecoming of our species within the fabric of the Natural world. From yearly exhibitions mostly in London, I used this as a focus and springboard to continuous exploration of the natural world and other cultures. Immersion being the key. Conversations from other tongues and peoples that shed light on everything I didn’t know, broke down any concepts I thought I had and challenged me on the curiosities I already harboured. Until my early 30’s this was the norm, and yet it became the catalyst for change.

A pause for reflection and new direction

Finding a home in Cornwall, UK, was the beginning of a deep shift in attention to my own energy and intentions. Moving into a stillness, a meditation and commitment to change, welcomed the first awareness into the realisation I could shape my practice and not work off sheer blind hope that paintings would materialise.

The first major piece to come out of the healing and re-defining spell led me to create ‘Within A World’, a large-scale collaboration and dedication to the natural beauty of the world for a fundraising event in London for The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation. A premonition and deep rooted, instinctual beckoning to create something that allowed an audience to FEEL. To rely and invite the deep senses and let go of the logical, rational mind of the modern day person. To go alongside this work we created a short film around the conservation piece with Sideways production media in Cornwall, and my Grandfather who was alive at the time and whom founded the wildlife charity - DSWF, which is now run by my sister - began the piece with me and I concluded it 4 months later on the day of his death.

‘Within a world’ was an 80-foot circular piece which consequently sold and all proceeds went towards conservation. It was a great love-affair of a painting, a meditation and journey into the ambitions I held for what i could achieve and the scale to which i could perform, coupled with a deep deep love of my heritage, grandfather and mothers legacy and the Wilderness that ever-inspires us all.

From Cornwall to Cape Town

Following this project I left the gallery circuit and Cornwall, and moved to Cape Town to follow a dream of being in Africa, somewhere, more permanently.

Here I embarked on a campaign where I created a 30-second painting each day for a year, selling them via Instagram with 100% of the proceeds going to different charities depending on the animal that featured in the painting. The energy created through the campaign opened more doors than ever before by being of service to the things I deeply cared about, let alone meeting my future partner that year.

Pandemic and paradox

The following year when COVID hit, Matt and I moved to Scotland. We sunk into a remote and still lifestyle to build on our relationship and find a way to exist on the mainland of UK once again. In the scottish hills and quiet of mountains, I painted the next major piece called ‘Mother’.

I painted this piece alongside a podcast created by a dear friend who spent 40 days walking and exploring the natural world under his feet in South Africa, and spent 40 nights in a treehouse. A true committed soul to the spirit of the wild, to the essence of wilderness and curiosity of ancient ways, I let his journey lead my own some 5,000 miles away.

This was one of the most spiritual, opening and beautiful experiences; to do honour to the world as I felt it and paint something under some kind of format impression but with complete freedom and no promise to anyone. No monetary intention, simply honour to kindred energy and nature. It was a sweet rebellion against the confinement of Covid.

This is how I paint now

I really don't see myself as an artist who paints from the imagination. My imagination serves as a discipline that I find during the process of painting. My gut says that I have 20% of the content of the paintings loosely in existence and the rest will come purely by setting up 20% down and discovering what must follow after that. The forces around us hide and deliver all the clues necessary for creating work. The true work is in the stillness to be receptive to what those images and clues mean. To what I must paint.

I have had so much faith in listening to others, learning from others and discovering other people who have done this before me, whether I’ve met them or not. I channel them and sew threads around what they have seen and experienced. As a result I am able to tap into what's already there and ideas formulate. Simply put, the work exists in the dreamworld until it is set to this time and space by my own choices of materials, time committed and instinct trusted.

Emily Lamb 2006 — Present

  • — DSWF Exhibitions from 2006-present which includes group shows, fundraising schemes, campaigns

    — Tryon (now Rountree Tryon Galleries ) since the age of 25 multiple solo shows

    — Christies London Group Show Collaboration with DSWF

    — Christies LA group show DSWF

    — Cork Street London Group Show

    — Mall Galleries London Group Shows

  • — 10 Major Painting Donations for Dinner Foundations DSWF

    — 360 Within A World DSWF

    — Running For Our Lives DSWF and Laura Wright

    — Mother collaboration Londolozi

    — Daily Sketch For Wildlife ongoing throughout 2019

    — Remembering Wildlife Painting for Fundraisers

    — Ongoing donated paintings RangerLab