Written by Chelsea McPherson
A desire to escape city life and embrace coastal living is what led artist Emma Thorp to move to Queensland from Victoria eight years ago.
The Hervey Bay resident has been an artist for as long as she can remember and spent many years studying to earn a degree in Fine Arts from Latrobe University in Bendigo.
She focuses primarily on coloured pencil works and digital art, including short animations.
When I asked her what she loves about her work, Emma told me that her work was autobiographical, and that it gave her a way to tell her story and express herself.
She became focused on digging into her artistic practice after her second child, born prematurely and later diagnosed with Autism and ADHD, began school.
Emma said she found an element of control in her artwork that she admitted she didn’t quite have in her own life.
Her 2019 exhibition Early focused on her journey with her son.
Through this exhibition she became a voice and advocate for carers and special needs parents in the community.
“That’s a theme that runs through a lot of my work: inclusion and community,” Emma said.
Emma is thrilled that Early will be touring several regional galleries in Queensland this year and hopes that it will provide support and understanding for special needs children.
Daily life is what inspires Emma, and she tries to illustrate everything that happens, not just the positive aspects of life.
On the rare occasion that she’s not working on her art, Emma cares for her children, gardens, and walks her beloved dog.
You can view information about her exhibitions, and some of her digital work, on her website emmathorpartist.wixsite.com, Instagram @emmathorpart and @Emma Thorp Artist on Facebook.
Her next installation is a digital animation project called “Invested” that will be exhibited at the Bundaberg Regional Gallery from March 30, 2021.
