I focus on liminal concepts related to water movement, and for a while, I went to Lake Ontario to study this. While visiting the lake, I wrote down what I saw and in order to capture specific moments, I used a Gopro camera to shoot underwater footage. I created charcoal drawings from the video stills, because just like the way that water moves, when making a charcoal drawing there is always a state of flux. The charcoal provides tone and detail, and by erasing I am able to bring light back into a drawing. This is similar to the ebb and flow of water as it leaves its imprint on the shore. I am interested in the physical presence a place has or the mark that it leaves. Water is always changing, so I intend to capture the temporary nature of a waterfront and a specific moment in time.
Much of my work is based on observing my locale. I propose to continue researching the motion of water. I plan to continue creating charcoal drawings and further study lumen photography, a recent interest of mine. I am curious to see how lumen photography could capture the movement of the waves and the accumulation of time spent at the lake. Since Artscape Gibraltar is located on Toronto Island, I will be surrounded by water. I think that by being simultaneously in a new place and immersed in my artistic niche, I will make great strides in exploring and researching water. Many feel as if they lack motion in their lives right now, so I hope that exploring the motion of water can inspire me and those around me to find it. I am also very interested to compare what the people from the community see when they go to the water to my own observations.
~~~
Emiley Webb is an artist and arts administrator living in Mississauga. She has completed her Honours, Bachelor of Arts in Art and Art History at the University of Toronto and Sheridan College and a post-graduate certificate in Arts Administration and Cultural Management at Humber College. Her art practice takes its form in printed multiples, drawings and animations. She is interested in natural phenomena related to light, shadow and water. Her work deals with ideas of ephemeral moments and changes occurring in the natural world.