Emma Doig
Degree: BA (Hons) Fine Art
University: University of Dundee
Graduation Year: 2014
New Blood Art Statement
The immediacy of Emma Doig’s work is captivating. Fluid forms blend and escape us, the figural images twisting to and fro in enigmatic vivid expressions. Violent, tempestuous movements are tamed with sympathetic hues which vanish into the background complimenting the urgency and spontaneity of the works. As if breaking free of chains the figures dance and swing, becoming unbound from invisible cocoons. Through an intuitive painterly style the work mimics the cathartic experience of acting on impulse, of becoming truly extemporaneous. In doing so, the work itself compels liberating responses and cleansing notions of freedom.
Artist Statement
Through experimental paintwork, various techniques and spontaneous application, my work explores human experience and the relational compulsion to feel free. I usually have the figure suspended in a transient state, letting go and embracing the unknown. Suspended in a quiet composition, the figure emerges from layers of brush marks and pallet knife painting. A lot of the work is left to chance, the final outcome usually unpredicted. The painting in itself is a meditative process of pushing and pulling and being led in a somewhat unexpected direction. With a sense of weightlessness, the work communicates a metaphorical jump; caught in transition, the figure is leaping into the unknown. The emphasis is not on the figure, but on the movement, beauty and intensity of letting go.