Emma Phillips Art
Emma Phillips
Multimedia Artist
Emma Phillips (BA (English and Education), Graduate Diploma (Kingdom Theology), Diploma in Illustration) was born in England and raised in South Africa from the age of eight. She lived and worked all over southern Africa before returning to live in England, in the early 2000s, with her husband and children. She now lives and works in Fleet as a multimedia artist, illustrator and theologian.
As a multimedia artist, she is comfortable working in a range of media and styles and working to a commission brief. She finds inspiration in the natural world, people, African art and her faith, creating art that tells stories, reflects a moment or an emotion. she explores a variety of themes, including identity, relationships, spirituality and the natural world. Emma has long experience teaching art and crafts, speaks on the intersection between art, creativity and faith and leads art reflections.
This website is Emma's online portfolio and and a selection of her work* can be found in the various sections, including her latest collection. There are original artworks, cards and prints for sale. If you would like to buy anything or commission a unique piece of art, invite Emma to speak or lead a retreat/reflection, her contact details can be found on the website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube to see her latest work and up-to-date news. Enjoy browsing her work.
*(Please note that all art, images, video and content on this website are copyrighted and may not be screenshot, cropped , manipulated, altered or edited in anyway and may they be used, reproduced or anyway or format, without the artist's express written permission. The artist also retains all intellectual and image copyright over any original artwork or print that is sold.)
Exhibition: "True Colours"
October 2022
In 2022 I was invited to exhibit my
work at a new Arts Festival in Crookham. The exhibition took place in October 2022. I created a collection of mainly new work specifically for the exhibition to explore identity, relationships and the natural world. As a multimedia artist working in a range of styles the collection was a fabulous opportunity to let my imagination roam freely. The collection was inspired by a line from a Cyndi Lauper song, “I see your true colours and that’s why I love you”. click on the Image gallery to scroll through the pictures and for more details about each one and pricing.
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Selected Portfolio
A small selection of my work
below is a small selection of my work up to 2021. Please visit the Projects, Art Together, True Colours Exhibition and Illustration Course sections of this website and click on the view button for each project to have a more detailed look at my work and to see later work. You can find out more about me by clicking on the About Emma link at the top of the page. If you would like to get in contact, please email me and don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. All details are at the bottom of the webpage.
Projects
Projects & Commissions
Birds
Form and Wonder
I enjoy birdwatching and drawing birds. I love how, for me, they can also represent something else: a moment, a memory, an idea. It is wonderful to explore their form and colour in a variety of ways.
Advent Calendar
Telling the Christmas story
In 2019, I was asked to create 24 pictures to tell the story of Christmas to be installed in a large, wall-sized advent calendar for the Church on the Heath (COTH) in Fleet, Hampshire.
The World I See and Imagine
The Natural World and More
I take a huge amount of inspiration from the beauty of the world around me but I don't always paint exact replicas of reality, instead I often paint stories, feelings, thoughts and ideas into a painting.
Psalm 23
Pictorial and animated reflection
Initially created as part of the noticeboard/sermon/web ministry for the Parishes of Elstead, Thurslety, Shackleford and Peper Harow. The animated version was also offered to Church on the Heath, Fleet and was used in one of their pre-recorded online services in 2020.
Psalm 121
Expressive piece
A series of acrylic paintings using abstract forms and figures to explore and reflect on
Psalm 121
Pictures Speak
Noticeboard ministry: reaching out in a pandemic
During the 2020 pandemic I was asked to create posters as way to communicate with the communities in the Parishes of Elstead, Thursley, Shackleford and Peper Harow.
Thy Kingdom Come
Web and Noticeboard Installation
This series of images, reflecting on and illustrating the Lord's prayer was commissioned for the parishes of Elstead, Thursley, Shackleford and Peper Harrow for the international 11 day prayer event, "Thy Kingdom Come" in May 2020.
Learning to Fly
Emerging
Using the motif of a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, this illustration and animation project is extremely personal to me. It records my experience of the pandemic in 2020. It also reflects the experience of millions like me, who were told to shield. Unfortunately, this is an experience that has been repeated several times now.
Easter Retelling
Sequential story-telling project
Created for Easter and Holy week 2021, this style of story-telling is something I love to do.
Dwell
Quirky Cottages
Inspired by the rows of ice-cream coloured cottages in the winding streets of Appledore in Devon, but relocated to a country-side setting, these cottages were originally drawn as part of a reflection on the word DWELL
Inktober 2020
Inspired by a single word
During lockdown 2020 I came across the Inktober movement on Facebook. It was great fun to practice sketching, mainly in digital format, creating pieces to a high standard and a daily deadline, inspired by a single word.
Illumine
Inspired by Celtic Christian Spirituality
Created as a series of digital abstract expressionist pieces and a reflective prayer video, each image is inspired by and reflects on a line in from the traditional prayer of St. Patrick's Breastplate.
Our Nativity Story
An Intimate Portrait
One of the things I enjoy doing, is to tell stories through pictures and to explore feelings and experiences, using colour, figures and shape. In this series of acrylic paintings, I use shape, figures and colour to explore the events of the Christmas story, particularly through the experiences of Mary and Joseph
Generosity Project
Sermon Art Commission
In March 2020, I was asked to illustrate a short story that would be used as part of the sermon on generosity, highlighting the work of the Food Bank, by the local minister, Patrick Butler.
Eco-Church Commission
8m wide window painting installation
Climate care has become an essential topic for discussion, prayer and action in the world and the Christian church. I was approached by the eco-team at Church on the Heath, Fleet to create a simple window painting that communicated this to the community.
Ice Cream Van
A "Vehicle Portrait" Commission
Our local ice cream man asked me to make a picture of his van. There is a huge amount of detail on the van. I worked from photographs, so that I could get the details right.
Scratch Art
A trip down memory lane
Inspired by a technique taught to children, but bringing it up to date in a digital format, I created this series of images to be turned into cards and postcards.
Telling the Story
One moment: One Picture: A Whole Story
This piece of art was created as an illustration for a sermon I preached on the woman who anointed the feet of Christ.
Express it!
Making art speak
Sharing feelings, moments and ideas through art and illustration
Nativity Installation 2021
Charming Characters telling a timeless story
This project was about telling the Christmas story by using the characters I had created for the advent calendar in 2019. I was commissioned by the parishes of Elstead, Thursley, Shackleford and Peper Harow to create 5 sets. I worked in collaboration with the vicar and a team of volunteers who helped paint my designs onto the wooden figures. Each piece was hand-painted. A sixth set was created and installed in Church on the Heath in Fleet. The figures are reappearing in all 6 places again this year (2022)
World Map Window Installation
Fabulous Two -Hander Collaboration
This massive window installation was created during COP 26 (October 2021) and was in place until late September 2022.
Art Together
Collaborations and Community Projects
Flame
Paperchain Curtain Installation
4 m wide, 7m high with 4356 paper chain links, this was a truly collaborative project and a huge amount of fun to make. The flame paperchain installation was made for the Church on the Heath, Fleet in 2019, to celebrate the world-wide prayer event known as Thy Kingdom Come which culminates in Pentecost.
Soar
Interactive Installation
Interactive fun for the whole community, who were invited to take selfies in front of the eagle, this project took it's artistic inspiration from children's 'scratch art'. The stylised eagle was made for Church on The Heath, Fleet in September 2019 and was in situ for several months.
A Journey through Acts
Church Community Project
This installation was created for Church on the Heath, Fleet, for their summer church programme in 2019One of the beautiful things about a community project is doing your part and then letting it go and coming back to see what the community has made of it.
String Art Cross
Wall Installation
Inspired by that most famous of Bible verses, John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave is only Son..." this string art piece transforms 1960s craft transformed into a Twenty-First Century art installation. It was installed on The Church on the Heath, Fleet 'Hope Wall' from March until September 2019.
Love is shown by what you do
Puppet film collaboration
I absolutely loved this project. I made this piece with Shirley Eason who heads up the puppet ministry at Church on the Heath.
Having seen some of my other work, Shirley approached me with a brief create characters, illustrations and animations to act as and a backdrop to interact with the puppets to tell the story of the Good Samaritan.
Illustration course
Working to a brief, developing skills
In this section you will find examples of my work from the Illustration course I recently completed at London Art College. Whilst I have taught art and craft in the past, and have my own distinctive style, I welcomed the opportunity to develop my skills, practice working to a brief and being challenged in new ways.
