Born in Hereford, Emma and her husband Seamas (also an artist) live in Brynmill in Swansea. The painter can be found hard at work in her attic studio, or out on the Welsh coast.

ABOVE: POBBLES AND THREE CLIFFS

“This is one of the most striking beaches in Gower. My husband sees Gower as providing the beauty that we harvest. It’s like we’re co-creating with the peninsula rather than simply painting it. It’s a partner in the process.”

GREAT TOR FROM TOR BAY

“We often walk our dogs here. It’s a beach that requires quite a long walk down from the car park. The hardest part to get right was the far-off coast. I had to make sure that the tonal quality had enough blue so that it receded into the distance. I love the orangey red bracken on the side of the tor. It had this sun-soaked foliage which contrasted with the dry chalkiness of the rocks.”

SWANSEA FROM MUMBLES

“I walked from near Mumbles out into the bay at low tide to take photos to work from. As this was quite a large canvas it took three days to paint in the summer (when there’s lots of light to work with). For some reason I can’t work for more than three days on a canvas because it loses its freshness. Momentum is the key with my work.”

LOW SUN ON MORFA NEFYN

“The Llyn Peninsula is a beautiful place and reminds me of Ireland. It manages to be wild but accessible at the same time. This is a well-known location so I wanted to paint it in an original way. The tide marks in the sand were the trickiest element to get right. The colours are subtle too – I wanted to get that warm cosy feeling of sunset.”

TENBY TIDE

“My favourite oil paint is by Lefranc Bourgeois and they have a range of fabulous blues and greens that I love. Buying the best paint helps immeasurably with attractive looking paintings. Colour is everything. I love how the colours of the water here went so well with those of the houses and buildings. I also love the refl ections moving in the water. There’s something seaside salty and invigorating about this painting – it just makes me want to go to Tenby.”

Scroll down for more examples of Emma’s work…

For more information visit: www.emmafcownie.com