emma cownie art Archives

Posted on April 25, 2021October 8, 2021 by emma cownie — 28 Comments

100K!

This week I passed an important blogging milestone. On Tuesday moring I was greeted with the message that my wordpress site had passed 100,000 all-times views!

My husband, Séamas, set up this wordpress site for me over seven years ago. When I took it over full-time in 2015, I had 91 followers, now I have just over 800! Views for my site have steadily been growing but 2020-21 was a bumper year.

Breaking my leg last year provoked the most comments by far!

I would like to say a great big thank you to every one who visited my website, bought my work, read my blogs and left comments!

It seems that I like animals almost as much as I like Art. Turns out that Wayne (Barnes) of Tofino Photography is my chattiest follower. He certainly makes me laugh! He takes wonderful photographs of the incredible wildlife of Western Canada – eagles, bears, wolves, orcas and humming birds! Take a look here.

A Candian bear catching his lunch: Image by Wayne Barnes

Thank you to everyone who has visited my website and blog. Whether you have just stopped by to look at my paintings, read my blogs but especially those who “like”, comment and buy my work. Without you I could not continue to make art.

Painting of view Overlooking Magheroarty — Overlooking Magheroarty

Posted on July 6, 2017November 5, 2018 by emma cownie — 1 Comment

Same Location, Different Views

I have just completed a painting “Summer Rain” which is an oil painting of the same view as in the paintings, “Outside Brynmill Coffee House”, “Night Walks” and “The Dusk Walk Home”, the later two which both sold via Artfinder. All are below.

“Night Walks was inspired by Hopper’s “Night Hawks” and “The Dusk Walk Home” was a commissioned re-interpretation of “Night Hawks”. Unlike these two latter evening-time oil paintings this is new painting “Summer Rain” is earlier in the evening as dusk descends and is in the summer rain. I have posted these in accordance with the progression of the day, from bright day to darker night.

Outside Brynmill Coffee House

Summer Rain - Brynmill Coffee House in evening rain 60x50cm — Summer Rain

Summer Rain
The Brynmill Coffee House is in Brynmill, Swansea and is a superior coffee house that allows artists to exhibit their work. It has live music too.
I will be exhibiting in the month of August and my husband James Henry Johnston is exhibiting in September.
It is great to have a local business which supports the arts. I salute them in these paintings.

The Dusk Walk Home

Night Walks

Posted on July 21, 2016November 17, 2018 by emma cownie — 2 Comments

Passive Smoking

Oil painting of people in Swansea town centre — Passive Smoking

This, like a number of my recent and forthcoming works, will not be available to buy for the foreseeable future as they will be exhibited first but I am posting details of them to keep collectors and artlovers up to date with my recent work, inspirations, and directions.

This painting is a new painting is heavily influenced by North American artists in its colouring and in its subject matter, namely the frisson that comes from human interaction, in the most apparently mundane settings.
I loved this scene, as the man seems ill at ease and not sure whether to leave or remain. He may even feel guilty that he is kinda in ear shot of the couple’s conversation and may appear to be eavesdropping. He was there first and then the couple joined him, to eagerly gossip and have a quick cigarette break. They seem so comfortable in each other’s company compared to the man who seems very ill at ease, aggrieved at having to endure their smoking and the drifting grey-white fumes.

Buy here

Posted on July 20, 2016November 17, 2018 by emma cownie — Leave a comment

The Time In Between

Oil painting of woman waiting for the bus. — Time in Between – SOLD

The title refers to the time before one activity, after another activity has ceased. A limbo period filled with change checking in her purse, as she waits for her bus to arrive.

The composition is, as with many of my works, influenced the diagonal compositions as used by Henri Carter Bresson. The colouring is influenced by American artists such as Hopper and Eric Bowman. I have deliberately tried to imbue this portrait with pathos, elevating a mundane act into something semi sacred, as the light is Cathedral-like as it shines through the high glass panels of Swansea Bus Station onto her chunky cable knit cardigan.

Posted on June 10, 2016November 17, 2018 by emma cownie — Leave a comment

A Certain Something

Contemporary oil painting of Swansea man — A Certain Something – SOLD

A hot summer day on Oxford Street Swansea finds this old dude, sharply dressed for the summer heat.
The title again has two meanings – the man has bought a certain something for a precious loved one or he has a certain something as in presence or charisma, something not easily defined.

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

Posted on June 9, 2016November 17, 2018 by emma cownie — Leave a comment

Still Time

Oil painting of elderly Swansea man — Still Time – SOLD

Delighted to have Sold “Still Life” via Artfinder a day after adding to my store! Going to the USA! ‪#‎artfinder‬ ‪#‎swansea‬

“A jaunty elderly man, all dressed and booted on his way to the shops in Uplands, Swansea.
I loved his cheerful sense of purpose and his 1970s sunglasses, that slightly look at odds with the rest of his clothing.
The title of the painting has a double meaning as in still time to get to the shop and a moment of time frozen in time, made still. Still time.

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 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

Posted on June 1, 2016September 8, 2018 by emma cownie — Leave a comment

Rise Art

Just received a very positive and instructive feedback from some Insiders at Rise Art – concentrate more on these figurative people paintings seems to the main point!

Her depiction of pedestrians and streets of Swansea in rain creates an enigmatic atmosphere which tempts the viewers for more and her ‘refractionist’ style is eye-catching. 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

See more people painting for sale here

Posted on December 1, 2015May 6, 2019 by emma cownie — 5 Comments

A Bar At Noah’s Yard

“A Bar at Noah’s Yard” – a centre piece painting, painted especially for my art exhibition in Noah’s yard in two weeks time!

This painting of a well known bar in Uplands Swansea called Noah’s Yard, is modeled on the famous Manet painting “A Bar at the Folies-Bergère” but with two differences. The scene is now down town Swansea and the work is expressionist not impressionist. I love the use of expressionism in urban scenes as it can seem more vivid and dynamic, muscular and rhythmic, more funky even.

Click here to buy prints

Posted on November 27, 2015May 6, 2019 by emma cownie — Leave a comment

Further Round

New painting – “Round from Rhossili”

One day my husband and I walked up this steep hill overlooking Cheriton in Gower Peninsula and when we arrived at the top we were amazed at the view which was a view of practically all of Gower.
We walked on and on and eventually walked to where we could see the world famous “Worms Head” peaking it’s head and neck out of the water like a rising dragon, with it’s humped back submerged behind.

I thought this would make a lovely and unusual painting, this view and perspective.
Most paintings of Worms Head are from the perspective of glorious Rhossili or from the great beautiful expanse of Llangennith beach but this view has something else. It looked like Worm’s head was a great beast swimming round the corner of the hill in the distance. I loved the patchwork of fields and colours, especially how they flowed down the hill and twisted around it, giving a really pleasing fluidity of movement. I tried to catch this fluidity in this painting.

Buy limited edition signed mounted prints here

Posted on November 27, 2015May 6, 2019 by emma cownie — 2 Comments

The Cloud Vanishes

Delighted to say I have just SOLD the painting “The Cloud Remains” via Artfinder !
Now off to live in Leicestershire, England!

https://www.artfinder.com/…/emma-cownie/product/the-cloud-…/

“This painting is of the straggling wisps of cloud left on the hills in the Black Mountains after a passing storm. It was an amazing scene, this steam-like vapour rising out of the backs and humps of the hills. It looked as if the hills had just had a shower and the appearing sun was drying them off. I loved how the low lying clouds combed the trees and hedges as they floated past. The sun, shining through to illuminate this effect, seemed also to grow patchworks of colours from the fields around the surrounding landscape, as if the light was a nurturing spectral beam. The colours in the Black Mountains after the weather breaks on the hills are heavenly and this is what I hoped to convey. ”