Inspired by her mother to create from a young age, Emma Tompkins has been painting nearly her entire life. Her family moved to Montana when she was five, which has allowed her to develop a deep connection to place. With continuous encouragement from friends and family to pursue her passion, in spring 2020 she began her own art business.

Painting her surroundings is a true passion for Emma, and landscapes are the main focus of many of her canvases and artworks. Mediums include acrylic/oil on canvas, and digital illustration. Emma paints to spark emotion in her viewers, and passion for the place she calls home.

“I use rich pigments to achieve a brighter landscape, and enjoy bringing the vastness and stillness of the landscape to the canvas,” she explains. “Montana sunsets are magnificent, emotional, and ever-changing… I like to exaggerate the landscape using saturated color on my canvas, while adding playful lines. I use bright, warm colors in my underpainting to give the overall composition a deeper value and contrast. My shadows and final detail work make the composition more natural, cohesive and balanced.”

When not working on her art, Emma enjoys being outdoors with friends and family. “I enjoy camping, swimming, running, and playing in the dirt during the warm season,” she says. “In winter, I like skiing and being in the mountains. Getting outside always inspires me to create; it is one of the most crucial steps of my art process. Painting the landscape that is in front of me gives me a greater appreciation for where I am standing.”

You can find Emma at local art markets, or plein air painting in the summer. Discover more of her bright and beautiful, Montana-inspired paintings at www.emmamarieartist.com.