Page 8 - Jigsaw December 2021
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QUESTION & ANSWER
QA
EMILY
DUFFIN
Drawn to nature
Having grown up on the edge of her grandad’s farm in Bulwick, Emily Duffin has always been in love with nature and the countryside that surrounds her. Here she explains what inspires her to create such beautiful artwork...
Were you always good at art at school? Art
enough to be living in a picturesque cottage
in the village of Upper Benefield. We were surrounded by the curving green countryside, blooming meadows, wild rabbits in the garden and sweet birds singing from our beautiful pink blossom tree. The countryside was beckoning
was one of the only subjects at school
I was naturally good at. I grew up in
a very creative household, my father would spend his spare time painting or drawing, and so being creative always felt very natural and normal.
How long have you been creating
your artwork? After studying art at
college and university I decided to take
some time to focus on working several
jobs to earn some money and buy my
first car and house, this turned into a decade long break. Five years ago I had a daughter, Molly, and during this time away from work I decided to pick up my sketch book again – and I loved it! My fiancé Mark, Molly and I were lucky
me and I felt it impossible not to
be inspired. Sadly, this is where my artistic journey took a monumental blow and stopped. When Molly was one year old in 2017, her father died unexpectedly. As the autumn leaves were falling all around, my life fell into darkness. During this time I stopped creating artwork altogether. But slowly, little by little, as I awoke from grief,
my creativity began to flourish. I was
asked by friends and family to create bespoke illustrations and that kept me focused through a very difficult time.
Where do you get your ideas from? I am inspired by nature every day, the beauty of each
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