Emma Simpson

A LIFE WITHOUT CEILINGS

Clara is fascinated by the birds as they dip and dive, soar and glide in seemingly endless spaces. Spaces that are tantalizingly out of reach. In contrast, Clara feels trapped, stuck on the ground, more like a stone than the birds she so admires. But there is no stopping Clara as she goes on a magical journey to discover a life without ceilings, to soar wild and free like the birds.

EMMA CHRISTINA SIMPSON is a British author, illustrator and picture-book maker. A happy childhood climbing the oak tree at the bottom of the garden, watching the house martins build their nests from the bedroom window and long summer days on the wild beaches in Cornwall: these are some of the vivid memories that provide fertile ground for Emma’s illustrations. Graduating from university with a BMedSci in Speech Therapy, she worked for many years in London and Munich with young children in the special educational needs sector, before dedicating herself full-time to picture book making. She took part in the Children’s Book Illustration Summer School in Cambridge. Emma’s passion for picture books comes not only from the endless possibilities to create beautiful artwork interwoven with text, but the shared experience it represents for children. Picture book illustrators and authors that inspire her include Laura Carlin, Beatrice Alemagna and John Burningham. As well as drawing, Emma plays the violin and loves swimming in the beautiful lakes surrounding Munich where she currently lives.

Emma Christina Simpson

JURY REPORT An original artist with strong compositions, unusual perspectives and a limited palette. The jury liked the creative used of mixed media – pencil, watercolour, printmaking and collage, and her bold use of negative space. Small details stood out, like matching the blue of the girls jumper to the bluebird soaring into the sky, and the jury liked the use of leaf rubbings interspersed with watercolour in the tree spread.