Jemma Powell
Artists Statement
‘The artist will, trance-like, instinctively lay mark over mark until the painting is finished. Because of this, her paintings have a captivating fluidity and dynamism, a sense of calm alongside one of joyful chaos.’
A Lifetime of Looking.
Jemma Powell’s paintings begin in the landscape. To ensure the painting becomes cross-pollinated with the essence of the day, Powell mostly paints en plein air. Once she has absorbed the feeling of a place, this knowledge flows through her instinctively. She will intuitively decide the first colour to strike her canvas with, tapping into some innate desire to use it.
Once the first colour is laid on the canvas, the first shape marked out in Powell’s characteristic energetic brushstrokes, then all following colours will be in conversation with the first. The artist will, trance-like, instinctively lay mark over mark until the painting is finished, completing them in one sitting. Because of this, her paintings have a captivating fluidity and dynamism, a sense of calm alongside one of joyful chaos. The flurry of marks which appear in quick succession are tempered by the complete absorption of the artist herself.
Although landscape is a large part of her practice, Powell also paints interiors and still life. These are loosely based on her domestic space. As her studio is in her dining room, she paints in the heart of the house, with her children ricocheting in and out. Far from this being a distraction, this familial chaos and energy feeds into her practice, which is why her still life paintings retain the vitality of her landscapes.
This awareness of artistic technique comes from growing up in a house of artists. Jemma has always painted but concentrated her professional energy on her successful acting career. It wasn’t until she met her husband, singer / songwriter Jack Savoretti, that she realised the act of creation was about sitting with your craft and allowing the marks or music to come through naturally. Her husband once said, ‘writing a song is like digging for treasure and performing a song is like showing what you found,’ which inspired Powell to finally exhibit her work. After all that time of painting in the background, Powell’s lifetime of looking enriches her canvases; through painting what she has noticed, she is showing us what she found.
For more information: https://www.instagram.com/powell.jemma.art/?hl=en