Artist Statement

I am an Irish painter and printmaker working between Dublin and Leicester. My printmaking practice is deeply influenced by the vast, remote landscapes of Ireland’s West Coast.

I draw inspiration from dramatic weather fronts, the land’s primordial character, and the scattered traces of past human presence. My work explores the tension between human control and nature’s power.

Previously, my watercolour paintings focused on urban street scenes, celebrating city architecture and the immediacy of the present moment—a perspective that contrasts yet connects with my current themes.

My monoprint process involves layering fluid, painterly marks in ink on a metal plate, then refining them through controlled adjustments. This cycle repeats until an image emerges that feels complete—like capturing a fleeting moment amid shifting weather. I often incorporate drypoint lines or etching techniques, and each unique image evolves significantly before being pressed. Outdoor sketching remains central to my process.

Bio

Emma Fitzpatrick is an Irish contemporary painter and printmaker, born in Dublin in 1969 and currently based between Dublin and Leicester, UK. Her work is strongly influenced by the remote, natural landscapes of Ireland’s West Coast—a place she visited frequently as a child and where she lived for a year. She currently works primarily with monotype and drypoint, and is actively revisiting etching techniques as part of an evolving approach aimed at developing new work.

In 2019, Emma was awarded a ‘Develop Your Creative Practice’ grant from Arts Council England to support the development of her printmaking. She has undertaken residencies at Cill Rialaig, Co. Kerry (2020 and 2025), and Brisons Veor (2021), and is a member of both Leicester Print Workshop, Leicester Society of Artists and Visual Artists Ireland.

Her work has been exhibited widely across the UK and Ireland, including open exhibitions at Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, Bankside Gallery, the Royal Society of British Artists, Royal West of England Academy, Society of Women Artists, Ty Pawb in Wales, Tarpey Gallery in Derbyshire, and the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin (2019). In 2023, she held a solo exhibition in Leicester.

Before focusing fully on painting and printmaking, Emma worked as a production designer with RTÉ Television in Dublin and as a concept visualiser on international museum design projects. She has also completed commissions for clients including a boutique hotel in Leicester, Canal & River Trust, and Leicester City Council.