Samantha Louise Emery was born in London during the summer of 1968 to British fashion model Jenifer Wontner and Canadian Olympic Gold Medallist Victor Emery. Her late grandfather Sir Hugh Wontner became Lord Mayor of London in 1973 and her late great-grandfather was Arthur Wontner prolific British actor who famously portrayed Sherlock Holmes in many successful feature films throughout the 1930s.
After spending her childhood in Montreal Canada, Emery and her family moved to England in 1981. As a teenager, she had a short career as a model working with renowned photographers Annie Leibovitz and Patrick Lichfield. Feeling an innate need to travel, she embarked on a voyage across South America in 1987.
After travelling for six months, she returned to England to give birth to her first daughter Tabatha. During her early years of parenting, Emery interned with Irish fashion designer Paul Costello who made a number of outfits for the late Princess Diana. Emery soon sought a new direction and enrolled in an Art Foundation at Amersham College in Buckinghamshire. There she explored ceramics, design and film, and won an award at the Young Peoples Film & Video Festival for her short film Night Shift inspired by the work of Sylvia Plath. This leads to a placement offer to study Ceramic and Design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. During her art students years, Emery discovered a natural affinity for painting and drawing which would define her artistic career.
In the early 1990s, Emery moved to Canada and debuted several series of paintings in Toronto and New York. In 1997, the artist was commissioned to create an original artwork for the Save the Children organisation, presented as an award to the late American born Canadian TV personality Ernie Coombs ‘Mr. Dressup’ as a dedication to his many years of service as a spokesperson for the Foundation. During this period, she also gave birth to her second daughter Jasmin.
During a trip to Turkey, Emery was so taken by the hospitality, the history of its Persian and Greek lineage, and the innate spiritual connection she was having to Bodrum, that she found herself compelled to move there. This life change inspired the artist to create numerous artworks including her series Black Ledge. This body of work, charged with intense colour and sharp edges, made of acrylic, wax and resin on canvas, represents the fluctuating nature of human existence.
During Emery’s 49th birthday, she found herself reflecting back on the connections she had made with the women in her life and the various ways that they had nourished her existence, in particular the strength and wisdom she had witnessed in her two daughters. This leads her to conceptualise IKONA – a powerful message of female solidarity woven into a multimedia portrait series of living women that would explore the true depth and complexity of the Feminine Spirit.
IKONA was born
Self-taught or art school?
After completing a Foundation course at Amersham College in Buckinghamshire, I studied Ceramic and Design at Central Saint Martins in London. Both courses were influential to my sense of design and love of multilayered textures. These creative components have become increasingly evident in my self taught painting practice.
If you could own one work of art what would it be?
Arterritory by Alice Neel
I admire this self-portrait by the late Alice Neel for her fearless approach in creatively capturing her ageing body whilst directing her confident gaze towards the viewer. This painting is an inspiration to my own creative journey of self-portraiture which is embedded inside my current IKONA portraiture project.
How would you describe your style?
I am a multimedia artist, combining a variety of techniques in order to create tactile and energetic visuals. My style is driven by a purposeful effort to act instinctively yet deliberately without intellectualising the movement of my pencil, brush nor the direction of my thread. This intuitive process encourages a continuous exploration of the techniques I utilise to produce organic and original works of art.
Is narrative important within your work?
Yes. My work explores the interconnection between humans within the biodiversity of Life by mapping out these networks visually through my multimedia practice. Central to my artwork is visual activism representing the divine powers of Women.
Through utilising the medium of portraiture, I intertwine my own background and experiences as a woman with an international host of influential women who have impacted my creative journey. I advocate for female solidarity and promote the view that collaboration is an essential element for women to succeed in our modern world.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
I have many favourites. Alongside Alice Neel, the late Louise Bourgeois and Maria Lassnig have been influential to my journey as a female creative seeking to unveil the intricate layers within women. The current artists Zanele Muholi, Loie Hollowell and Deborah E. Roberts are inspirational to the creative representation of the female form.
What or who inspires your art?
Firstly, I am inspired by artists, photographers, designers and musicians, some of whom feature within my artworks. Being not just an artist but a wider creative, I am inspired by the vitality of many fellow creatives personas. Equally as important to my inspiration is my growing passion for the rich wonders of nature. The natural world, specifically our human connection and dependence on the ocean, is paramount to my creative energy.
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
My studio is inside my home based in Bodrum, Turkey. I have a variety of locations allocated to the many layers within my creative practice. My painting studio, alongside my musical instruments, is located in the heart of my home. My textile studio is located in the basement where the cooler temperatures support the physical work required for the expressive canvas embroidery I create with my sewing machine. My digital work is created in my office which is located on the upper floor of my home studio.
Do you have any studio rituals?
I enter my creative zones at different times of the day according to the seasonal light and temperature. The summers are hot in Bodrum therefore I work my way through my studio spaces from top to bottom. The winters are damp and cold which changes the locations of my creative hubs. My studio rituals are very organic and practical.
What are you working on currently?
I am currently working on my second series within my IKONA project.
IKONA | Wise Women is a collaboration with ten female powerhouses channelling change through their work, with whom a deepened connection has evolved whilst creating each portrait. The collection includes cultural activists, filmmakers, journalists and creatives advocating women empowerment whilst demonstrating the wisdom that comes from inner growth.
I am developing the canvas surface through combining techniques of photography, photoshop, hand and machine embroidery, acrylic paint and bespoke inkjet printing.
IKONA | Wise Women will be launched in London at Hoxton Arches on 11-14 March 2021
Where can we buy your art?
Directly through www.samanthalouiseemery.art or via Saatchi Art