“I paint so that I may examine a particular image that is important to me. The exploration of layers of detail and memory and the rhythmic process of laying down paint,
clarify my thoughts. When the painting is complete, the memory is crystalline.”
Originally from Niagara Falls, Emma Hesse studied at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto.
After graduation, she had a successful career in graphic design and illustration. In 1990,
she moved to a farm near Peterborough, Ontario, where she devotes her time to painting
images that are both constant and have personal significance for her. Much of Emma's
inspiration comes from the interior space and the natural light in her century farm house.
She has participated in numerous exhibitions throughout Canada and the US. Her paintings
are reproduced on the covers of several novels published by McClelland and Stewart,
including The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart, and three works by Margaret Drabble.
Her paintings are included in collections both in North America and abroad.