British artist Emily Ponsonby’s newest exhibition was a year in the making, but the wait is now over.
In her forthcoming solo exhibition at London’s Gillian Jason Gallery, Emily Ponsonby explores the extraordinary in the ordinary – the overlooked details of familiar objects that time and routine so often dull. Raised on a farm in the Cotswolds and now living near the Dorset coast, Ponsonby’s practice transports viewers to a world where stories unfold unhurriedly with the alchemy of beeswax.
What do you want your works to explore?
My paintings are almost like a retrospective diary, recording a year’s worth of encounters – recreating the places and faces that bring me comfort. I have to paint people I know. It’s through hearing their voices, understanding how they think, even recognising their scent, that I can bring a narrative to life. With every figure, I aim to capture not just likeness, but presence. My scenes are not filled with protagonists, but with the threads of relationships. My paintings are not only what the eye sees, but what the heart feels – the invisible warmth between people as they share bread, time, and stories.
