Emma Louise Woolley is a contemporary artist renowned for her thought-provoking work that explores themes of identity, memory, and the human condition. Born in Moseley, Birmingham, Emma has cultivated a distinctive artistic voice through her exploration of various media, including painting, sculpture, and mixed media installations.
Based in Birmingham, Emma Louise Woolley is a multidisciplinary artist and Senior Art Director, running a design studio at the Custard Factory in Digbeth. Outside of her role at YST Design Studio, she engages in multiple disciplines, from painting and drawing to traditional printmaking. Emma graduated from Wolverhampton School of Art with a Fine Arts BA Hons degree. In the early 2000s, she became a resident artist in South Birmingham. After several years, she took a slight detour in her creative career, pursuing a BA Hons degree in Graphic Design and Illustration at Coventry School of Art.
Emma’s artistic journey began at Wolverhampton School of Art, where she honed her skills and developed a profound understanding of her craft. Influenced by artists such as Lucian Freud, Jenny Saville, and Tai-Shan Schierenberg, her early works resonate with both personal and universal themes.
Emma is particularly known for her portraiture. Her work focuses primarily on the human form and the connection between the sitter and herself. She aims to explore and interpret the deeper soul of each subject she paints, prints, or sketches. As she puts it: “Painting for me is very meditative. When I push paint around the canvas, a deeper instinct kicks in. At this point, there is nothing else in the world other than the canvas, the paint, and me. Endlessly exploring new techniques and ideas on canvas fuels my deeper passion for painting.”
Throughout her career, Emma has been recognised for her ability to merge emotional depth with conceptual rigour. Her work often engages with complex ideas surrounding the self and memory, presenting them through evocative and innovative forms. Whether through abstract compositions or more representational forms, her art invites viewers to reflect on their own experiences and perceptions.
New Prints Available
New Prints Available
Check out Emma Woolley’s new prints from The Wonder Series. Printed on Hahnemuhle german etching 310gsm and available at 12”x16”