Emma Currie
Taking inspiration from art history and the female form, Melbourne-based artist Emma Currie brings colour to life in her geometric paintings.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson | Photography: Nicholas Bebbington
‘I still pinch myself that people actually buy my work – I feel really lucky,’ says Emma Currie. Photo: Nicholas Bebbington
Blue Nude by Emma Currie. Photo: Nicholas Bebbington
H&F: What does an average day in the studio look like?
Emma: Ideally, I start at my desk around 7am with emails and planning, then by mid-morning, I’m hopefully in the studio painting. I usually have two paintings on the go at once, so I’ll plan out my colours for the day and switch between the two.
During lockdown, I’ve been finding it hard to concentrate for long periods of time, so in the afternoon, I’ll run some errands or go for a walk to break up the day, then back to painting until I run out of natural light.
When did you first know you wanted to be a painter/ artist?
Art was my favourite subject all through high school, so it’s been kind of a dream since then. I really didn’t think I would paint in a professional capacity until a few years ago, though. I still pinch myself that people actually buy my work. I feel really lucky.
How did you land on figures? And why the female form?
I did my first life drawing class in high school, and that started my fascination with figurative art. When I was at uni, I was exposed to everything from Medieval Art to Postmodernism, and it was always the figurative pieces that stood out for me.
The female form, in particular, has a long history in the western canon, so historically, there is a lot to draw from. But my work can tend to be quite introspective as well, and I’ve found that using the figure is a natural and almost necessary way of contemplating my own experiences with identity and womanhood.
You describe your style as geometric colour blocking; when did you decide to start working in this way?
I stopped painting for quite a long time after I finished studying art at uni, but I missed it a lot, so I decided to start again with no expectations or desire to do anything ‘good’. I did a lot of colour field paintings and then abstract geometric colour blocking because it just felt nice to put paint on canvas with no real end goal. I was still doing life drawing classes, and eventually, the styles just merged, so it was a bit of a happy accident that I came to work this way.
What does your process look like?
I start with a drawing of a figure and simplify it down to a basic line drawing. I extend the lines I find in the body to the background to create shapes that distort the distinction between foreground and background and create an abstract yet symmetrical composition. When I have a composition that feels balanced, I transfer it to the canvas and choose my colours instinctively.
“I’ve found that using the figure is a natural and almost necessary way of contemplating my own experiences with identity and womanhood.”
A Woman and Her Shapes by Emma Currie.
‘Every artistic journey is different, but what’s worked for me is putting myself out there, doing things outside my comfort zone and just slowly chipping away at my goals,’ says Emma Currie. Photo: Nicholas Bebbington
Where do you source inspiration from?
All over the place, but mostly from art history. While I first started painting in my current style, I was looking at a lot of early 20th century artists like Picasso and Tamara de Lempicka. Lately, I’ve been infatuated with Baroque and Neoclassical figurative paintings. There are also so many contemporary female figurative painters that I’ve been inspired by, like Tracy Emin, Jenny Saville, and Chloe Wise.
Do you have tips for artists who are starting out and working for themselves?
Every artistic journey is different, but what’s worked for me is putting myself out there, doing things outside my comfort zone and just slowly chipping away at my goals. My biggest piece of practical advice would be to get on top of the admin and business side of your practice. Figure out systems to deal with all of that, not fun stuff early on, so you’re not always playing catch up.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt working for yourself?
I’ve had to learn to be organised, to manage my time well and to be self-disciplined. Working for yourself as a creative can take a fair bit of sacrifice and hard work. There’s a lot to juggle. I’ve had a few burnouts along the way, but I’m starting to learn to manage it better and prioritise self-care and downtime just as much as my work.
Can you share some highlights and challenges of your career so far?
There have been a lot of challenges. Learning to let go of the idea of perfection has been a big one for me. I’ve had to learn to tune out my inner critic and just keep going.
Having the opportunity to work with The Design Files on my two solo shows has been really amazing. Both happened in lockdown, but this last one, I got to see photos of installed, and that was a huge highlight. I’m used to working in my cramped studio, and it was amazing to see the whole body of work up on the wall and how all the pieces correlated.
How have you faired through COVID?
I’ve been lucky to have been pretty minimally affected. I’ve got my health and have been working all the way through. It’s definitely been a weird and sometimes very frustrating time, and I can’t wait for things to return to some form of normality, but at the moment, I’m ok just taking it one day at a time.