Emma Mulholland
Emma Mulholland studied a foundation degree at the University of Ulster Belfast before moving to study Fine Art at the University of Reading, specialising in painting.
Her oil paintings are rooted in the emotions she experiences at the time of creation. Each piece begins with a photographic reference and is brought to life instinctively, built up through layers to form an otherworldly, atmospheric image. Her work focuses on capturing a mood or energy that feels honest and immediate.
The reference photography becomes abstracted, transformed into a blur of brushstrokes that convey the movement of the landscape. Emma is particularly drawn to the way light moves through the trees in the depths of the forest, creating a sense of softness and quiet intensity.
She works with minimal planning, allowing each painting to evolve layer by layer, guided by intuition and response. While a rough composition is already present in the original photograph, the final piece emerges organically. By using a limited colour palette and applying unblended colours straight from the tube, she creates raw, expressive textures. The results exist somewhere between abstraction and landscape, echoing the emotional weight of each piece.
Emerging Exchange Artist
Thanks to financial support from Belfast City Council via the Artist Studios Organisational Grant 2024/25 Creative Exchange secured additional temporary studio spaces in Portview Trade Centre. Emerging Exchange is a pilot project investigating how the organisation might build capacity as we expand our remit with a view to securing long-term, purpose built artist studios on site in the coming years. These spaces are aimed specifically for artists who are in the early stages of their career and who have had limited or no access to a studio space previously.