Emilia Symis graduated from Norwich University of the Arts in 2019 with a BA(Hons) degree in Fine Art, in the same year she was fortunate enough to make the final of the John Ruskin Prize and was awarded the winner of the Bishop’s Art Prize. Since graduating, Emilia has exhibited across the country and sold work worldwide. In 2026, she was given the opportunity to help select the prize winners of the ‘In Proximity’ exhibition at Norwich Castle, and she was also awarded the Karin Walker Young Artist Award at the Society of Women Artist’s 165th Annual exhibition at Mall Galleries in London.

 

Using food and flowers as her subject, Emilia creates weird and wonderful paintings that catch the eye. She is drawn to this subject matter because of the vivid colours but also because of their desirability and purity, thus allowing her to tarnish it in her artwork. Emilia's paintings are initially designed to be beautiful or delicious, but when dissected, they can sometimes have an unexpected or peculiar undertone. Her floral paintings illustrate natural beauty that has been unnaturally altered, resulting in an effect that can be conflicting for the viewer.

 

Emilia's food & drink paintings celebrate the enjoyment and excitement that she and many others feel when eating and drinking. Life is too short to forgo sprinkles on your birthday pancakes or to resist a slice of cake in the bath. Her paintings capture the extravagant, controversial orders like extra pineapple on pizza, or a parma violet cocktail. Emilia explores themes of self-care, togetherness, friendship and nostalgia, expressed in a playful and dream-like manner. The recent inclusion of hands around the proximity of the canvas help to add context and life to the artwork, these hands are often very feminine and sport brightly coloured nail polish, adding another level of aestheticism to the work.

 

Emilia works in acrylics, however in 2025 she experimented with oils and later decided to make it her primary medium. Although, the process of creating a painting starts long before the paint brush touches canvas. Inspiration often comes via childhood memories, social media, and meals out. Once an idea has been fully formed, Emilia begins to source the material needed to take the reference photo. Depending on the size and complexity of the painting, this can take weeks. Taking the photographs can also be time-consuming; this is arguably the most important stage because the paintings rely entirely on the quality of the reference image. Once a satisfactory composition has been achieved, the image is projected onto the canvas and a basic outline of the scene is drawn. Working closely with the reference image on her phone, she then begins to meticulously work in thin layers of paint until she has reached a photorealistic result.

 

To read more about each painting, please click on the Flowers or Food & Drink portfolios, and then click on the painting of interest. You can email Emilia at emilia.symis@gmail.com if you have any further questions.