Emily Maguire

The travel scholarship gave me the opportunity to go to Paris in the summer of 2024. I set out to explore the paintings belonging to the French Impressionist period, particularly focusing on the works of Claude Monet. During my trip, I went to Monet’s home in Giverny. I drew in his gardens, the subject of his major eight-part Water Lilies series which I later saw at the Musée De L’Orangerie in Paris.

The trip gave me time to fully submerge myself in my sketchbook, investigating the city through writing and drawing, creating images and ideas which I could take back to my studio in Brighton. My Paris sketchbook has gone on to inform new large-scale oil paintings such as ‘Birds at Dawn’ and ‘The Swallows Will Return’.

Since my trip, my sketchbook has become an essential part of my practice. I continue to dedicate time towards drawing and writing alongside my painting, with the means of gaining a better understanding of the world around me.”