|
Emelie Trevena's work
is unique and instantly recognisable Her paintings are beautiful objects
that are not only decorative but are full of enigmatic meaning as she is
inspired to express her own and other people's emotional relationships to
each other and to the world we live in. Emelie's childhood was bohemian and nomadic she was therefore exposed to many different influences. In terms of technique her work owes much to an Ibizan childhood and her experience of the religious icons that abound there . Emelie's use of guilding helps to give her work it's precious and jewel - like quality. She usually paints onto a panel and often leaves bare wood or guilding as a framing device and here again we can discern the influence of Spanish religious art. Perhaps her technical application of paint owes something to another Spaniard ,Salvador Dali, as well as to her own meticulous nature. Emelie loves to select unusual and attractive pieces of wood on which to paint and this gives her work a sense of solidity and permanence as well as an organic quality inherent in the natural beauty of the material. As a child in Ibiza, Sweden and England language could at times be a barrier to Emelie's communication with others and she sometimes felt isolated by this; in response she developed a strong streak of independence of thought and action helped also by the freedom her parents allowed her to develop her own ideas and to express them as she wanted to . A visitor to Emelie’s studio will hear an eclectic variety of music that she listens to as she works and formally in her compositions we can see an enjoyment of rhythm and movement, so it comes as no surprise to learn that Emelie is a trained dancer and a dedicated clubber for whom music is a vital accompaniment to life. Emelie's childhood homes were decorated with prints of the work of Carl Larsson. The quiet domesticity within a calm, orderly world evoked by him were clearly attractive to Emelie and we can see clear echoes of Larsson in many of her pictures. Books by the Swedish illustrator of myth ,John Bauer ,were another feature of Emelie’s home and had a strong and lasting influence on her. His images of lone girls inhabiting a surreal landscape occupied by trolls and other strange beasts were absorbed deeply into Emelie's imaginative and dream life. In adulthood Emelie's understanding of herself and others was transformed by her experience of Jungian analysis, this has also had a fundamental influence on her, allowing her the means to explore and express her psyche through the analysis of dreams ,mythology and art. The subconscious sketches that Emelie produced in therapy were a crucial step that led her on the way to becoming a professional artist as she discovered her innate talent for and enjoyment of visual expression. To Emelie painting is, like music, a universal form of language which transcends boundaries and nationalities. It is the highest compliment to her work when it provokes in the viewer an emotional response and it is in that dialogue that a relationship is established between the artist and her clients. |