Em Whiteford is an artist and maker based in Cumbria/Scotland whose work is deeply inspired by wild coastlines, uplands and the tempestuous skies of the North. Having grown up exploring the mountains of my home county and the impressive coastlines in my childhood, nature has always played a major role in my life. Now, it’s my playground, place of rest and ever my source of inspiration. I work predominantly in oil paint, and attempt to capture a visceral response to the power, movement and profound emotional connection I have experienced in the midst of Northern landscapes. In my practice as an artist, I seek to emulate the feelings you encounter whilst being immersed within this nature, blurring the lines between the self and the surrounding landscape, in a place where a more significant connection to the natural world emerges. I use expressive gestures, diversity of texture and a palette filled with the organic hues of the environments I find myself in. Each colour, brush stroke and mark made carrying the elemental and emotional weight of the landscapes they represent in the paint. In this light, I hope for viewers to engage with the emotions that this sort of nature conjures up. I hope it evokes a sense of connection within people which ignites a need to protect these landscapes which are so vital.