Emma S. Davis

Emma S Davis, born in Paisley in 1975 into a family of artists developed an early passion for art, sketchbook always in hand and inspired by regular visits to museums and galleries  . She pursued this passion at the Glasgow School of Art, studying drawing and painting from 1994 and graduating in 1998 with a sell-out degree show that even saw her sketchbook pages sold  .

After graduating, Emma embarked on a full-time career as an artist, quickly gaining recognition. In 1999 she became the youngest-ever recipient of the Alexander Graham Munro Travel Award at the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW), which enabled her to travel and paint in Italy the following year  . In November 2001 she was elected a member of the RSW, receiving her diploma from Queen Elizabeth II at age 23. Emma also earned the Sir William Gillies Art Award at the RSW’s 2002 annual exhibition, and in 2009 she received her Paisley Art Institute diploma  . Further credits include British Contemporary Art Award, Studio 261 Award, the House for an Art Lover Award, Miller’s Creativity Award and the Glasgow Art Club Award to name a few. 

Emma is best known for her vibrant mixed-media works on gesso panels, alongside oils, watercolour, pencil, ink and pastel. She uses a distinctive approach that weaves paint, light, colour, mood and texture into emotionally resonant interpretations of Scottish landscapes and still lifes  .

Her work is held in numerous private and corporate collections worldwide, with her diary filled with exhibitions and commissions  . Throughout her career, she has shown in leading UK galleries and beyond.

Today Emma continues to live and work in Scotland, perpetually inspired by its landscapes—from sketching when out on her travels to creating evocative originals in her studio  .