Coming from the Isle of Man originally, studying Surface Pattern Design in Huddersfield, England and an Erasmus year studying Art in Oslo, Norway gave me a good basis to start work in the design field. Working in a fashion design studio and Home furnishings company in Sydney, Australia and textile design studio here in lovely Vienna, Austria has of course had an influence on my work. Setting up Emma’s Art Room to teach art to children here in Vienna is one of the best things I ever did. I love teaching and I get a similar buzz from teaching as I do from painting and inspiration comes in both directions. I am now fully settled into Vienna with my German husband (who is a whizz with computers/technology) and two little girls who keep me on my toes.
Isle of Man
I spent all of my childhood growing up and living in Douglas. My Mother had an underwear shop and we lived above it. It seemed the most normal thing in the world to go and play in the shop. My favourite things to do would be to draw and craft on the back counter with sellotape and marker pens on bits of cardboard that came with the packing. I remember as I got older I would help by rubbing the brass on the door and mopping the front of the shop..I would even offer to do it for the shops next door. I would help wrap gifts and I remember I started working as a Saturday girl when I was 13 or 14 and was in charge of the tights and stockings counter! Getting £15 a day that I thought was AMAZING! I remember taking my mum out for dinner and paying and feeling very grown up.
The shop was called Andrew E Scarffe’s and is the building to the left of the RHODA on the photo above. I have fantastic memories of playing in the street and visiting Gore’s Rock shop at one end and the Marina Bookshop at the other. The beach was across the road and my friends had hotels or family businesses and we would play in the hotels, on the beach or be in and out of each others shops.