Emily May Irwin- MFA Fine Art
Emily Irwin is a Northern Irish artist based in Manchester. She is currently completing her MFA at Manchester School of Art after completing her MA Fine Art at MMU in September 2025. She has curated and exhibited in multiple exhibitions across Greater Manchester including; ‘Memoria Locus’ at Saan1 Gallery, Northern Quarter, ‘Srishti’ at Hot Bed Press, Salford, Manchester School of Art MA Degree Show 2025, ‘Painting x 5’ at Saan1 Gallery, Northern Quarter, and ‘Behind Closed Doors’ at Core International, Stockport. She is also a founding member of the 1838 Collective based in Islington Mill, Salford. Her artistic practice mainly consists of oil paintings on canvas, calico and linen with a range of small to large-scale works. For the art school commission, Irwin has made two large scale paintings to be shown in two different buildings of Manchester school of art. These pieces are a response to the space in which they will be shown, one in the SODA building, and one in the Holden Gallery. The pieces reflect the main theme in Irwin’s painting practice; looking for light and space while living in a city such as Manchester. One painting represents the light patterns created by artificial lights in buildings around the city, combatting the light patterns made from environmental features. The other, a response to the light and space created by the gothic architecture in Manchester, specifically the John Rylands library. Within her painting practice, she uses traditional painting techniques such as glazing, to build layers of colour creating a depth and sense of space within the canvas. Her work is a response to her surroundings, originally from the North Coast of Northern Ireland, her paintings come from the feeling of looking for light and space while living in a city. Taking inspiration from the light moving around her studio, around the buildings of Manchester, and familiar spaces from home, she layers a combination of urban shadows and exterior shadows in different glazes. Irwin’s work centres on a connection to place and a sense of longing for home. She brings together different qualities of light to highlight the still and calm moments throughout our day. Within her paintings she creates a space trapped within the edges of the canvas, pulling inspiration from places within her own life, yet remaining familiar and open enough to allow for individual interpretation. URL: emilymayirwin.com
