Bio

Emma Ashby grew up on the East Coast of England, UK, where her deep affection for coastal landscapes was cultivated. It’s a love affair that has continued to grow in her 20+ years of living on the East Coast of New England and is reflected in the atmosphere and emotion of her paintings.

Emma studied textiles at the Royal College of Art in London, where she received an MA. Then, having worked for several years in the British fashion industry, she moved to the United States where she was introduced to the ancient medium of encaustic. It quickly became her passion. Today Emma is a full-time artist and encaustic educator. Early work drew on her textile background, incorporating fabric and pattern to create abstract images of flowers and ponds.

In recent years her work has become more representational, and she is one of the few artists, working with encaustic, who is known for landscape painting. What makes her work especially unique is her use of clay. As the artist explains “I wanted to incorporate clay into the layers of wax so that some of the subject matter would actually become an organic part of what I was creating”.

“Emma Ashby is a skilled encaustic and mixed media artist. Her creations are deeply inspired by the natural world, particularly the coastal landscapes and seascapes that surround her. Using layers of beeswax, resin and pigments, Emma's work captures the ephemeral beauty of nature, blending texture and color to evoke a sense of depth and movement. Her pieces invite viewers to explore the intricate interplay between light, shadow, and form, offering a contemplative experience that highlights the tranquility and dynamism of the natural environment.” Nahcotta Gallery, Portsmouth NH

“Ashby is a true working artist. Working artists spend significant amounts of time working in their studios and part of that work is to evolve their art.” Vandy Leigh, The Portsmouth Herald July 2019

Emma’s paintings have been exhibited in numerous solo and group shows and commissioned for both private and public spaces. She has work in the permanent collection of the Museum of Encaustic Art in Santa Fe, MN, and is a member of the International Encaustic Artists. 

Her work can be found at Nahcotta Gallery in Portsmouth, NH, Bowersock Gallery in Provincetown, MA, and Summer House Furnishings, Rye, NH.

Artist Statement

I am continually inspired by the endless discovery of colors, texture and pattern in the fabric of Creation; the growth and decay, the ebb and flow, the beauty and fragility of life. It helps explain my passion for encaustic.

Encaustic painting is an ancient art form that involves using heated beeswax mixed with resin and pigments. I use a brush to paint layers of this molten wax onto a panel, carefully reheating each layer to fuse it to the one before. My paintings often consist of dozens of layers, some of which are scraped back to reveal hidden colors and patterns. I also like to incorporate clay into some of my landscapes, so that something of the earth can become an organic part of what I am creating. As I seek to capture the essence and emotion of my subject, it is the translucent and textural capabilities of the medium, the intensity of the colors and sometimes the unpredictability of the process that I find best reflects the natural world I am portraying.

Education
MA Textiles. The Royal College of Art, London. 1986.
BA (Hons) Fashion Design. Ravensbourne College Art & Design, London. 1984.