About Emma
Emma Evangeline Gustafson is an emerging artist, illustrator and author, best known for her intricate paintings of the natural world. Her work can be found in 20,000+ homes across New Zealand.
Emma's detailed works reflect the beauty and interconnectedness of the landscapes that surround her. She aims to create pieces that feel therapeutic and healing to her viewers, who similarly share a deep love of nature.
Emma's Story
At the age of 7 years old, I knew I wanted to be an artist. I was born in 1997 and grew up in Auckland. I acquired my painting abilities from my grandmother Evangeline, who enjoyed painting landscapes. Although she passed away in my early years, I still feel her soul's presence with me on this creative journey.
Growing up I was told by teachers and those around me that making a living as an artist wasn't a viable or achievable option. I was convinced that it was too difficult a pathway, so opted to study graphic design. After I graduated design school, covid hit. While searching for work as a designer over the lockdowns, I found myself painting everyday. After about 8 months of building up my portfolio and selling paintings, I got my first big illustration job - The Story of Swoop, which managed to hit #1 on the NZ Children's bestseller list. After Swoop I worked on a couple of other stories for NZ based authors, then realised the necessity of writing my own stories. In 2024 I self-published 'Friendship Is Gold'.
I moved to Whitianga in 2021 and have been based here almost 4 years now as a full-time artist. I feel honored to be able to share this extremely special place through my work. The Peninsula has a very supportive, creative community, which I feel very lucky to be a part of.
Growing up I was told by teachers and those around me that making a living as an artist wasn't a viable or achievable option. I was convinced that it was too difficult a pathway, so opted to study graphic design. After I graduated design school, covid hit. While searching for work as a designer over the lockdowns, I found myself painting everyday. After about 8 months of building up my portfolio and selling paintings, I got my first big illustration job - The Story of Swoop, which managed to hit #1 on the NZ Children's bestseller list. After Swoop I worked on a couple of other stories for NZ based authors, then realised the necessity of writing my own stories. In 2024 I self-published 'Friendship Is Gold'.
I moved to Whitianga in 2021 and have been based here almost 4 years now as a full-time artist. I feel honored to be able to share this extremely special place through my work. The Peninsula has a very supportive, creative community, which I feel very lucky to be a part of.
Emma's artist heroes?
Brian Froud, Alex Grey, Shirley Barber, Miles Johnston, David Choe, Ivan Shishkin, Carol Evans, Moki
Emma's advice for other aspiring artists?
My advice is to find out what art inspires you, think about what you want your art to do for the world and the feelings you wish to impart on your viewers. Every creative human has something unique and valuable to contribute to the creative collective world! You don’t need a degree to be an exceptional fine artist.
Although I have a degree in Graphic design, I am a completely self-taught artist and my process is very much intuitive.
