Emma Stibbon: Melting Ice / Rising Tides

Working principally in drawing and print media on paper, Emma Stibbon RA (b. 1962) depicts landscapes and environments that are undergoing dynamic transformation, among them the polar regions, volcanic areas, deserts and coastal and urban locations. Her approach is driven by her desire to understand how human activity and the forces of nature shape our surroundings: ‘As an artist, I feel committed to representing the impact of these changes, be they natural or human. My impulse is to draw, to act as a witness.’

A regular traveller, Stibbon undertakes field research alongside geologists and scientists; on her return to her Bristol studio, she works from her sketches and photographic records to create large-scale drawn and printed artworks that testify to the fragility of our existence.

This beautifully designed book, which contains many new works, an engaging interview with the artist by Sara Cooper and a text on the sublime in nature and art by Richard Fisher, is published to accompany an exhibition at Towner, Eastbourne.

Image credits: Emma Stibbon, Sea Groyne, 2023. Ink and sea salt, 102.5 x 250 cm.; Stuart Bunce photography, © Emma Stibbon; Emma Stibbon, Hope Gap, 2022. Ink and sea salt, 225 x 141 cm.; Stuart Bunce photography, © Emma Stibbon; Emma Stibbon, Tabular Berg, 2022. Intaglio print, 48 x 75 cm.; Stuart Bunce photography, © Emma Stibbon.