From garden to gallery – Emily Imeson recognised in Sulman Prize

COFFEE Camp artist Emily Imeson has been named a finalist in the prestigious Sulman Prize.

Established in 1936 through a bequest from the family of architect Sir John Sulman, the annual competition is judged by a guest artist selected by the Art Gallery of NSW. The prize is awarded to the best genre painting representing scenes of everyday life, subject painting, or a mural project by an Australian artist. It is presented alongside the renowned Archibald Prize.

Ms Imeson was recognised for her piece The Harvest, Toms and Cellular Sunflowers, created using wool and ground pigment on batik earth-stained cotton. The work was inspired by her time tending the garden at the property where she lives near Nimbin.

While the Sulman Prize was awarded to Blue Mountains-based artist Gene A’Hern for his piece Sky Painting, Ms Imeson said being named one of the 30 finalists — selected from a record 732 entries — was validating.

“I read the email of congratulations around 100 times,” she said.

A graduate of Southern Cross University with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours), Ms Imeson said her artistic practice has evolved since becoming a mother to her two-year-old daughter, Letti.

“The Sulman is a prize that’s speaking about aspects of everyday life, and I’m in the vegetable garden getting dirty with my daughter every day,” she said.

The creation of her work began with a drawing, before getting a big pile of dirt, making a mud pie and rubbing it into the fabric.

“Then I buried it in the earth down at the site where we’re regenerating the creek bank,” she said. “I then unearthed it and washed it and then it’s ready for the next stage. I crocheted the edges, stretched it and painted the sunflowers.

“The crochet aspect is new to me; after two years of dedicating my mind and body to another living being I felt like my brain needed to learn something and because I’m a hands-on person I decided to teach myself to crochet.”

Ms Imeson said that bringing her ideas into the material world through art is a grounding and joyful process. “It helps me find focus and celebrate the things that I love like dirt and sunflowers,” she said.

The Sulman Prize exhibition is on display at the Art Gallery of NSW until August 17.