Emma Sheldrake was born and bred into a family of artists. Eccentricity is the cornerstone of the Sheldrake family. She graduated from the Queensland College of Art in 1995. Emma has had ten years experience working within the Design, Advertising, and Fashion industries as an Art Director, Graphic Designer and Stylist. From television commercial conception through to interior design, Emma has worked the full spectrum of creative industries, including working in Brisbane, Sydney and the USA, for amongst others, George Patterson Bates.
Perhaps another side of Emma is Dj Hoola her other personality. This has been another outlet for her endless supply of energy and love of anything where she can be creative and amused. She has played locally and internationally in clubs from the Versace Hotel through to the Lychee Lounge, for events, exhibitions, and fashion launches. She has mixed her love for old jazz and fused this into a blend of house and electronica. This has triggered inspiration into her other creative ventures such as fashion design and fine art. Presently heading up Sheldrake Creative as Creative Director, Emmas outlet is her fine art. She has had her paintings in exhibitions at the Queensland Art Gallery and The Powerhouse. She is currently working towards her first solo exhibition Confronted with a body of work heavily influenced her work in the fashion industry and her love for the Pop Art movement. Emmas inspired by artists such as Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, Brett Whiteley, Esther Erlich, Roy Lichtenstein and Jeffery Smart. In addition she also takes inspiration from fashion photographers such as Ellen Von Unwerth, Sacha Dean Biyan and David Lachapelle. Bold, striking, spontaneous and captivating her works reflect the fact that painting liberates her passion and energy.
Large, fluid brushstrokes, paint left to drip at its own accord, coupled by images that stare, question, provoke or seduce the onlooker is her signature style. Her art is a combination of mischievousness/flamboyance mixed with strong painterly surrounds with bold colour combinations. These images of woman define the power they have to seduce the onlooker. The beauty becomes woven into the canvas but the symmetry blurred and features flawed by the paint that drips on its own accord. This is how these images escape the stereotypes of the pages of fashion magazines into a free graphic representation of character. Her first solo exhibition titled 'Confronted' was recently at Livingedge, Brisbane.
