Emerson Mayes has a deep understanding of the landscape that surrounds his home on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. It is this knowledge that allows his work to be an intimate and honest response to such a vast and complex subject.

As a keen fly-fisherman if he is not to be found painting outside, there's a good chance he'll be stood in the river, trying to out-wit the local brown trout. Its these long hours spent outside that add to the truthfulness of his work. He has no doubt that his love of the landscape came about through childhood days helping out on friend's farms and long summer holidays from university spent working on them.

The paintings are eventually taken into the studio where they can be assesed as objects in their own right and worked on away from all the distractions. Trees may disappear, walls moved and colours changed as he tries to reach a precarious balance between subject and the sheer beauty and texture of oil paint itself.

Emerson has enjoyed that rarest of things: success both critical and commercial since the start of his career. This has included the winning of a number of awards and many successful exhibitions around the country, including a sell-out at his first London show. His work can now be found in many public, private and corporate collections worldwide.