Emily Powell’s Arctic Art Exhibition Opens on Dartmoor

Emily Powell’s artwork, a recreation of the Norwegian Arctic, now adorns a Dartmoor barn. This exhibition, titled Arktisk, aims to counteract the winter darkness and will be showcased in an 18th-century barn at Ullacombe Farm, near Bovey Tracey, commencing this Saturday. In March, the 34-year-old artist embarked on an expedition to Sommaroy, a Norwegian island, where she absorbed the hues of the Northern Lights, coral beaches, and snow-capped mountains. During her treks across the island, she produced 20 art pieces before returning to Britain to convert her barn studio with expansive, floor-to-ceiling artworks. Ms. Powell, a native of Liverpool now residing in Brixham, stated that her artistic approach facilitates the expression of her emotions. She commented: “I was not very good as reading and writing, so I always used art as my main output to describe my emotions and how I could express myself.” She further elaborated: “You see the real fight in the work, it’s not small brush strokes and it’s not apologetic, it’s very brave and bold and I’m not feeling sad.” Ms. Powell’s father, David Moore, passed away when she was seven years old, and she indicated that her art has been instrumental in managing this grief. The contemporary artist shared: “Winter is hard because I have PTSD because I lost my dad when I was seven in October 1997, so I’ve had 27 years of bad winters.” She added, “Last winter was really, really tough because my father-in-law was unwell.” Concluding, she stated, “I felt I needed to do something exciting, really fill my head with bright colours and a new environment.” Ms. Powell also mentioned her perception that adequate support for grieving children like herself was lacking in the 1990s, compelling her to develop her own coping mechanisms. She remarked: “Art was a really powerful way of doing that, so it has given me a lot.” These large-scale artworks were produced by Ms. Powell without photographic references, utilizing acrylic paints, oil pastels, paintbrushes, and even a kitchen broom to cover the 100 sq m (1,000 sq ft) area. Upon her return to the UK, a group of set builders constructed a framework of large canvases to envelop her studio, after which Ms. Powell dedicated two months to painting Norwegian scenes directly onto these surfaces. The individual pieces bear the titles: Northern Lights, Whale Mountain, The Islands of Sommaroy, Birds Transcending Whale Mountain, Arctic Meadow, and Coral Beach. Ms. Powell noted that her creations have already evoked strong emotional responses from viewers. She recounted: “The farm’s cafe staff who bring me cups of tea and some of them have burst into tears because they’re overwhelmed by it because it is such a powerful experience seeing that much art in one space.” Following its opening on Saturday, the exhibition will be accessible from Wednesdays through Sundays, concluding on 1 December. Additional reporting was provided by PA Media. For further updates, follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook, and Instagram. Story ideas can be sent to spotlight@bbc.co.uk. This content is Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external sites and provides information on its approach to external linking.