Art on location and solo show at the Retreats
- Emily Jolley
- Jun 26
- 1 min read
This summer I'd planned to take a break from open studios season to explore new directions for my practice without the pressure of letting artwork loose in the world before it's/I'm ready for it! Meanwhile...
June has seen the first ever Cambridgeshire Plein Air Artist of the year award, masterminded and hosted by Katherine Mann at Histon Manor. It was a wonderful event and really gave me a taste for doing more work on location.
© Emily Jolley 'Baked apples after the strawberry moon', June 2025, in the studio before being installed at The Retreats, and painting on location at Histon Manor during a gorgeous hot breezy day
The 2 paintings I made on the day can be seen alongside others at a solo show at the Retreats, at Burwash Manor throughout the summer. I'm enjoying spending time there as an informal artist in residence, taking in the peaceful atmosphere high ceilings and beautiful light, and selecting and creating artwork which complements and is inspired by this. Huge thanks go to the business owner Anastasia who's made this possible.
Back to the exploring new directions angle - in the studios at the moment are mosaic glass artwork in progress, rusty pieces of metal I scavenged from scrap dredged from the river Ouse, paintings on board, drawings on raw calico, other scraps of all sorts, and gathering materials for a commission in the pipeline... I'm excited to see where these strands lead to.
© Emily Jolley: studio shots of work in progress including (working title) shapes I've been dreaming of
