About

Emily Penfold is a British multidisciplinary artist and designer and creates exquisite original fine art pencil, pen and ink drawings. Within her practise, Emily delves into the fragility of life, celebrating its internal magic in all its forms. Emily graduated from Central Saint Martins, London, in 2018 with a First Class Honours degree in Performance: Design and Practice. 

A Surrey-based artist, Emily’s exquisite original drawings in graphite, pen and ink emerged following a haunting trip to the Killing Fields in Cambodia. In a place of so much dark history and pain, there was a striking air of peace and calm. The ornate architecture throughout, adorned in colour and gold, coupled with the vast expanse of nature creates a scene of serenity and beauty. They say opposites attract and this stark contrast between the dark with the beautiful has been the  driving force behind much of Emily’s work.  Through her drawings, she explores a subject that is both personal and universal.
Art is a thought. It’s not only a piece of work but a way to inspire, to question, express and explore.

She aims to challenge people to find light and positivity in the dark and is particularly inspired by views of life as a cycle rather than a linear journey. No end. Just beginnings. Emily hopes to create work that is beautiful yet thought provoking. The juxtaposition of the human skulls against vibrant colours as well as powerful representations of life creates a sinister yet hopeful vision exploring our own human impression and everlasting presence, our soul as a timeless essence.

In a number of Emily’s works, she incorporates the use of diamond dust and gold leaf. She invites you to consider finding beauty in the passage of time and the purity of the intangible relationship between life and the inevitability that is death.

Jasmine Rosten-Edwards of the UK based online art gallery Oneoffto25 comments that Emily’s works “embody harmony between the human senses i.e. they are soul enriching as well as providing fulfilment on an intellectual and emotional level.”

In Emily’s more recent works, she delves into the fragile dimensions of sea-life, exploring the delicacy of what lies beneath the surface. Inspired by this powerful force of nature, the infinite water of the sea evokes an unequivocal sense of both fear and calm. Something that can make you feel so fragile and alive all in one. There is a beauty in the everlasting strength of nature and this extends to the creatures that inhabit it.