Emelie Robertson “The Place Between A Feeling” – July 3 – 26

Born in Geraldton in Northern Ontario in 1997, Robertson from a young age was drawn to spending time in nature.  Embracing the outdoors in all seasons, she uses her past experiences working as a forest firefighter and living in a sub-arctic community in the North West Territories to inform her paintings.  She is interested in the perception of nature and the expression of place – painting that simulates the emotional and optic experience of being within the forest.

New to SW Ontario and more familiar with Northern landscapes, it took time for Robertson to connect to the local London landscape.  It was this past winter and early spring where it really clicked for her.  She began to observe the subtle differences in the light and the dense tangle of foliage in the forests.  These new paintings in “The Place Between a Feeling” are therefore a joyful expression of this new discovery.

Working predominately on Yupo paper, Robertson loves the material freedom that the paper gives her.  Yupo is a synthetic, smooth paper that has a non-porous surface that repels water.  This “slippery” smooth aspect of the paper allows Robertson to create a gesture without resistance.

Encouraging material play, the paper reinforces the immediacy of the moment, the energy of the landscape and the sensation of the feeling that she paints.  In a sense, the painterly process is similar to Robertson’s experience in the landscape, a point of connection where she seeks the energy from the memory of each unique landscape.

“For the most part, the show is a result of exploring the forests and parks around London, and maybe more specifically about spatial tension; moving through time, seasons, space and light. The “Place Between a Feeling” is meant to suggest a physical and metaphorical place. A moment of connection; when the place becomes apart of you and you apart of it. I’ve learned that this type of communing is also possible through painting. Though it’s a language I’m slowly learning… the more I practice the more I see the ways in which other painters describe how they feel and see; ultimately influencing my work and the paintings in the show.”
Emelie Robertson, July 2025

Emelie Robertson received her BFA from the University of Guelph in 2019 and is a current MFA candidate at Western University.  A chance high school trip to Temagami introduced her to the painting medium, which has become her life’s passion ever since.

In 2023, Robertson was included in the group show “How Was Your Fire” at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery in Owen Sound and the recipient of a 2024 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant. 

Link to Emelie Robertson’s Artist Page HERE