Emma Howell
13 August, 2025
Between 2022 and 2025, my work unfolded alongside one of the most defining journeys of my life: the struggle to become a mother. Much of it was shaped in the quiet ache of infertility – months (years) spent wondering if it would ever be my turn. Painting became both a lifeline and a way to move with the tides of grief, hope, and renewal. From deeply personal series to collaborative projects built from others’ stories, these years proved how art can hold both turbulence and beauty. With the arrival of my daughter, Lilah, this chapter closes in profound joy, bringing new rhythm and light to my life and work.
Terrain: Layers of Life in the Landscape
Terrain (2022) is born from a dialogue between hand, mind, and body – a practice rooted in the belief that our internal environment shapes our experiences and expressions. Each painting is guided by the landscape of my inner self, my instincts, and my embodied intuition. The physical, emotional, and psychological terrain I inhabit informs every mark, shape, and colour, creating work that is as much a reflection of inner topography as it is of the external world.
The ideas behind the collection remain intentionally hidden, leaving space for you, the viewer and collector, to inhabit your own interpretation. Terrain invites you to explore the landscapes of your own perception, to feel, imagine, and connect. May these works resonate with your instincts, reflecting whatever meaning or emotion you choose to place upon them.
Take care of your pieces. Take care of your terrain.
New Terrain: Where Hands Follow Heart
New Terrain (2023) continues my exploration of terrain – not just the physical ground beneath us, but the internal landscapes that shape who we are. Inspired by lyrics from Alanis Morissette’s Not as We, the collection captures the tension between the familiar and the unknown, moments where instinct guides the hand and mind.
Exhibited at Sixteen Gallery in Cheltenham, the collection presents works created intuitively over the years, reflecting my personal journey of self-care, grounding, and navigating life’s challenges. Deeply dedicated to my late father, these paintings explore contrasts – light and shadow, softness and sharpness, growth and decay – inviting viewers to reflect, escape, and connect with their own evolving terrain.
Lemons: Small Charms, Big Encouragement
Lemons (2023) is a prequel to the Seeds collection (below), launched on Friday 24th February 2023. This small series of original drawings was created as lucky charms – each piece a personal keepsake to remind you that “you’ve got this.”
Designed to inspire hope, strength, and resilience, these artworks serve as gentle daily affirmations. On the tough days, they’re a visual nudge, a reminder of your own inner power and the ability to navigate life’s challenges. Collect a lemon, and carry a little spark of optimism wherever you go.
Seeds: Planted by You, Grown by Me
Seeds (2023) is a collection of 22 original paintings and 3 limited edition giclée prints, born from the ideas, life mottos, and mantras submitted by my subscribers, collectors, friends, and followers. Each contribution acted as a seed – tiny sparks of thought, intention, or reflection.. that I nurtured and translated into visual form.
This collection is a meditation on growth: physical, emotional, spiritual, and conversational. It celebrates the potential inherent in every seed we plant, whether in our own lives or in the lives of others, and reflects the interconnectedness of our shared experiences. Every brushstroke is an acknowledgment that where seeds are sown, something beautiful can take root.
Snapshots: Capturing Candid Moments
Snapshots (2023) is a 50-piece collection of original paintings, created in a unique Polaroid-inspired style. Each piece depicts a scene, vista, or intimate moment submitted by friends, family, and collectors – from lives around the world.
This collection is a heartfelt celebration of the everyday. It highlights how these small, personal moments – often overlooked in the rush of life – are the very fabric that makes each of our journeys unique and meaningful. By translating these snapshots into paintings, I want to honour the beauty, complexity, and significance of daily life as lived by so many.
It’s about slowing down, appreciating the present, and seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary. The collection invites viewers to reflect on their own stories, memories, and connections, reminding us all that it’s these moments that truly matter.
Sevilla: Colour, Life, and Escape
Sevilla (2023) was born from a need to step outside my own head. During a deeply difficult time in our infertility journey, I found myself overwhelmed and utterly miserable. To take my mind off it, I turned to the city itself – its vibrance, kindness, energy, and warmth – and translated what I saw onto paper.
This collection focuses on simplicity: basic still lifes, honest observations, and the colours that defined the city in that moment. Each piece is a small attempt to capture life as it was there and then, grounding myself in what I could see, feel, and touch.
Sevilla became both a subject and a sanctuary – a way to move through despair by immersing myself in the vibrancy of the streets, the stomp of the flamenco dancers, the sun-soaked patios, and the pulse of everyday life. These paintings are my visual record of that escape, of finding clarity and colour amidst personal struggle.
50 Paintings / 50 Poems: The Dialogue Between Brush and Verse
During a period of artist’s block and transition between collections, I set myself a challenge to create 50 paintings in 50 days (2023). This project became a vital stopgap – an unfiltered exploration of whatever inspired my mind and hands each day. The results are a diverse mix of abstract works, landscapes, and still life, each reflecting the spontaneous energy of the moment.
Alongside every painting, I penned a raw, honest haiku – a poetic snapshot capturing the emotions or thoughts behind the brushstrokes. This collection is a testament to the power of creativity as a form of release, renewal, and personal expression during uncertain times.
Soul: Between Dusk and Dawn
Soul (2024) began as an intimate confrontation with despair and exhaustion – a visual diary of a spirit wrestling with overwhelming life challenges. The blank canvases initially felt daunting, yet they became the very space where resilience and hope gradually took form.
This collection encompasses intimate meditation paintings, large instinctive emotional canvases, and the deeply personal Chair Collection, each piece contributing to the layered narrative of endurance and healing.
Through every mark and brushstroke, this body of work reveals a journey of embracing vulnerability and confronting adversity head-on. Originally meant to capture triumph over hardship, the work evolved into a candid reflection of struggle, creative paralysis, and eventual surrender.
“Soul” stands as a powerful testament to the human spirit’s capacity to endure and express even in the darkest moments – offering a glimpse into my soul, raw and unfiltered.
Artist Selected Works: A Personal Retrospective
This exclusive collection features my most cherished and available artworks, handpicked for their unique significance in my artistic journey so far. Each piece holds a personal story, representing milestones and moments that have shaped my creative evolution over the years.
Now, while I’m on maternity leave and embracing this beautiful new chapter of motherhood, this collection offers a rare opportunity to own a meaningful part of my journey – a connection that supports the continued breath of my practice during this special time.
I am deeply grateful for your support and invite you to explore these special works. If you’d like to learn more about the story behind any piece, please feel free to reach out via email.
The How Series: Process, Exploration, and Discovery
Since 2018, The How Series has been my personal journey of translating life’s sights, sounds, and emotions into abstract marks. Starting with 75 pieces inspired by moments of loss and growth, the collection has evolved alongside my artistic style and life experiences.
Now, with 25 new final pieces inspired by travels to Greece and personal reflections, the series reaches completion at 100 works. These abstract artworks capture how I’ve come to see and feel the world, offering a visual language that connects deeply with collectors worldwide.
The Motherhood Collection: Love, Struggle, and Transformation
The Motherhood Collection (2025) is a heartfelt exploration of nurturing, growth, and transformation – not just from my own perspective, but through the eyes and stories of a wider community. I invited people from all walks of life to share moments and memories that resonate with themes of care, change, and connection. These submissions are now inspiring the creation of the collection, which is still in progress. Together, they form the foundation for a rich tapestry of experiences that highlight the universal emotions behind motherhood and life’s many stages. Each future painting will reflect these unique stories, aiming to create a collective celebration of resilience, love, and the deep bonds that shape us all.
For me, this collection is intensely personal. It’s emerging after years of longing, heartache, and the uncertainty of infertility – a journey that tested my patience, hope, and resilience. Hundreds of torturous nights spent wondering if it would ever be my turn shaped the emotional core of these works. When Lilah Hope Munson finally arrived, on her due date, under a bright moon, the miracle of her birth brought light, love, and awe… but it also kicked off a whole new, challenging chapter.
Motherhood has been just as difficult as it has been miraculous. I’ve felt rage, exhaustion, despair, and the disorienting loss of identity, alongside moments of joy, healing, and deep connection. I’m still finding my way through it all. It’s funny – the collection is a total oxymoron.. a cry for help, a raw reflection of struggle, and yet also a celebration of the miraculous, tender, and transformative nature of motherhood. It holds both the darkness and the light, honouring the messy, beautiful truth of this journey.
