Emma Howell
1 September, 2025
I’m super excited to share that my painting “Rousseau’s Tale: Talking About You” has been selected from over 700 submissions to be part of The Open Call Exhibition 2025 at Sixteen Gallery. To have this piece chosen by such a respected panel of judges is an incredible honour, and I feel very grateful for the opportunity to show it alongside so many talented artists.
A Personal Connection
I have a strong connection with this painting. It was first exhibited in my 2024 solo show Soul and belongs to a small series of chair paintings made during a time of deep reflection and uncomfortable uncertainty. The chair became a quiet symbol in some of my work – it was an object that held space for solitude, imagination, loss and hope.
Revisiting Rousseau
“Rousseau’s Tale: Talking About You” includes a small homage to Rousseau’s Tiger in a Tropical Storm, added to complement the chair and balance the composition. While it began as an aesthetic choice, this old master work carries a fond memory for me. I first copied Tiger in a Tropical Storm in an art class when I was about seven years old, and even now a print of it hangs in our bathroom – a small, everyday reminder woven into my life. Revisiting it as an adult gave it new layers of meaning, especially during a time of waiting, uncertainty, and longing, when the tiger and the storm seemed to mirror my own emotions. Not long before I began this piece, my husband and I had seen the original in person, standing together in awe and nostalgia. Including it in the work felt like a natural decision.. and a way to connect memory, emotion, and imagination through the presence of the eerie chair.
A Palette of Nature, Home, and Healing
The colour palette for this painting was chosen with intention.. weaving together tones from Rousseau’s piece and the natural world. Warm olive greens, powder pinks, mahogany browns, soft yellows, and rusty oranges create a grounded, organic harmony – tones that speak of Mother Nature’s cycles and a quiet, nurturing energy often associated with the feminine. At the same time, these colours nod to the textures and warmth of interior spaces, evoking the kind of room where comfort and honesty are encouraged. The chair itself carries that same energy, deliberately reminiscent of one you might find in a therapist’s office – hinting at my own fair share of sitting in such a chair (hence “talking about you”). In this way, the painting holds together nature, home, and healing, allowing the viewer to step into a space that is both deeply personal and universally relatable.
The Rhythm of Monotony
The detailed parquet flooring dominates much of the composition; its repetitive patterning is there to reflect the slow, cyclical passage of days. Painting it became a meditative, almost hypnotic exercise, echoing the monotony and quiet endurance of waiting during infertility. Each carefully painted floor tile was a way to sit with time and build up my patience.. a trait that I had lost long ago.
Sister Works in the Series
This recognition makes the piece feel all the more special, and it’s wonderful to know it will be seen by new eyes at Sixteen Gallery. There are also three sister works from the same series (two still available): “Aegean Pause: Waiting For You”, “The Old Chair: Remembering You” (sold) and “Flowers From Matisse: Hoping It’s You” – each carrying its own story but connected by the same thread of hope, desperation and endurance.
Grateful & Excited
I’m honoured that “Rousseau’s Tale: Talking About You” will be part of this carefully curated exhibition. It feels particularly special because the painting emerged from a vulnerable and difficult period in my life, and now it will be seen by a wider audience. I hope you will connect with the work’s stillness, and see the patience and vulnerability woven through it. Exhibiting alongside such talented artists is a privilege, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to have this work seen and appreciated in a broader context.
I highly recommend you go see the show at Sixteen Gallery in Cheltenham – on until September 10th 2025. Oh, and my piece is for sale, by the way.
