Talented Northampton illustrator shares pride for growing business and recognition her artwork receives

A Northampton woman has shared her journey to founding an art and illustration business, following years of dedicating her studies to improving her work.

Emma Britten, 27, is the talented founder of The Wild Patch – which takes inspiration from the motto ‘seek nature, live slowly’.

“It sounds cliche but since I was a child,” said Emma, when asked when she first found her passion for art.

“My pap was a watercolour artist and he entered one of my paintings into an exhibition when I was just five.

“He did paintings for the family. I spent a lot of time with him and he taught me how to paint.”

Emma recently completed her masters degree, following her A levels, foundation course and undergraduate degree which were all centred around art.

She narrowed her specialism down to illustration when she took on her masters, and is proud to have built up her own practice over time.

Emma now has a studio, located in Unit 6, The Old Dairy Farm Craft Centre, Upper Stowe – where she sells her art and illustrations from.

When asked how she would describe her artwork, Emma said: “A strong influence from nature. I’m very inspired by getting people to seek out nature in their everyday.

“Everyone has busy lives, but I want to encourage people to take a moment and connect to nature – even if that is simply by looking out the window.”

Emma also wants to encourage people to be more conscious of their surroundings, as she has always had an issue with littering and wants to see individuals being more respectful.

She said: “It’s a positive way of looking at the world.”

Emma’s art has a lot of connections to outdoor activities, like camping and walking, which she has done from a young age.

The strapline ‘seek nature, live slowly’ was thought up over the past couple of months when Emma was completing her final project for university.

“It’s a slower way of enjoying the day to day,” she said, summing up the thought behind the motto.

Though Emma sells her artwork from her Upper Stowe studio, she hopes to launch her new website soon and has also taken to attending markets and events.

The 27-year-old has received “really positive comments”, particularly through sharing her sketchbooks to show visitors behind the scenes of what she does.

Emma’s proudest achievement since starting her journey with The Wild Patch is getting to where she is today.

Having spent years studying to improve her work and finally making a profession of her talent, Emma is pleased that her work is being recognised and people like it enough to make purchases.

Talking next steps, the 27-year-old wants to continue building on her career as a freelance illustrator.

The dream is to not only make art to sell, but be commissioned as an illustrator for magazines, products and posters.

The aim is to go full-time, as Emma currently works another two jobs – in a picture framers twice a week and as an art tutor for adults once a week.

For more information and to check out Emma’s artwork, visit The Wild Patch’s Instagram page here.