'Healing comes from understanding what went before us'
British artist, Jemma Powell, opens up her secret address book, plus reveals the one thing that makes everything better
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Some years ago, I remember bowling up to a very smart lunch in the Cotswolds and being horrified by the table situation. I didn’t know a soul. It was one of those very chic affairs where there were long pre-lunch drinks and an abundance of ‘mingling’ going on. This being The Cotswolds, most people knew one another- their kids went to the same school or were part of the same dressage set. Even at 43, I felt woefully out of my depth.
And so I did my usual trick, which was to spend a lot of time in the toilet, chit chat with the wait staff and then hurtle towards my seat the minute lunch was called. I peered down at one of the name cards close to my own seat. It read: Jemma Powell.
Of course, I needn’t have worried. The next few hours I spent talking to Jemma were some of the most inspiring and reviving I had had in months. She had spent most of her life as a relatively well-known actress and painted a little on the side, she explained. But in the last few years she had decided to take it more seriously.
That afternoon, when I arrived back at my hotel room (this all took place in Thyme by the way- the most ravishing hotel if you’re ever passing through that way) I investigated Jemma’s art. I was blown away. If ever the phrase ‘mid-life genius’ applies to anyone then it is Jemma. Her canvases are at once both dramatic and yet soothing. They have an uncanny ability of transporting you to the very places where she painted them- Portofino, Formentera, Marrakech…Naturally Jemma is now a big deal, represented by Cricket Fine Art in London and with collectors across the world. But she’s still just enough of an under the radar gem for me to share with you here.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
This too shall pass. When things aren’t going to plan or I feel physically unwell it’s so comforting to know that nothing is ever permanent.
You have 24 hours left on earth and can go anywhere. Tell us your plan.
I would wake up in the Italian mountains, walk to the top of a mountain to grab coffee, then ski down through fresh powder. I’d get fresh focaccia for breakfast from Maria-Angela, the local baker in Portofino and take a little fishing boat out to sea and have breakfast overlooking the bay of Paraggi. I’d then take a mid morning swim along the beach of Migjorn in Formentera, then eat fresh fish at the beach restaurant 10punto7. A trip to the Uffizi to see Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus would be next, followed by a stroll through the streets of Florence and a negroni at Cibreo. For dinner I’d stop off in Rome at La Pace del Palato next to the Pantheon and eat truffle pasta, carciofi salad and tiramisu. Finally a performance of La Boheme in Covent Garden followed by a nightcap under the stars in Kenya listening to the sounds of the bush.
What’s one thing you wished you’d never done?
Blame other people for my unhappiness.
Tell us one secret address...
Fonda Pepe in the small town San Ferran in Formentera. However much the island changes it has managed to retain the essence of what Formentera once was.
Tell us one of the hardest things you’ve been through- and what you learned as a result?
During my pregnancy with my 3rd child I felt cripplingly nauseous for 8 months straight. It was so bad that when I was painting I had to have a bucket by my easel. But the act of painting was a way of expressing the sickness and using it for creativity. As a result, I learnt that trying to escape the pain created more pain but embracing it made the journey easier.
A secret ingredient that makes everything better
A smile. When you smile you invite others to smile back - and nothing feels better than receiving a smile.
What’s your biggest extravagance?
Buying freshly cut flowers
The book I wished everyone would read is…
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. I was late to this book but when I read it my life turned around. It did not add new information or a new set of beliefs, rather it brought about a shift in consciousness which then led to a happier and more peaceful way of being.
What’s the secret to a happy-ish life?
Staying in the moment wherever possible. When we are living in the present we free ourselves of any negative thought patterns, anxiety and unconscious reactivity, and our creativity and pure essence can shine through.
What’s your ultimate hack?
Put a copper coin in a zip lock bag of water to stop flies coming in through windows in the summer!
11. A website I’m addicted to is…
Vigor and Skills. It’s an online platform for makers and artisans where you can buy anything from jewellery and ceramics to knitwear and hand crafted baskets. It’s so cool. Each maker has a page where you can see them at work in their studio creating their collections. I love the behind the scenes approach to shopping as it helps the customer feel invested and inspired by the craftsmanship.
The best thing anyone has ever said to you
My husband has always said “enjoy the ride as much as the destination”
We should think more about...
Elderly people
A thing worth knowing is…
All families have history... I think it’s so important to research it. We can learn so much about ourselves and our place in the world from our ancestors . Healing comes from understanding and accepting what went before us.
Nothing feels better than…
A cup of tea in bed on a cold winter’s morning .
A quote that I try live by is…
‘Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.” Viktor Frankl (holocaust survivor and psychiatrist)
What’s the wisest thing you’ve ever seen, read or heard?
Kahlil Gibran’s words on parenting:
“You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.
What’s the one thing we should cherish more?
Nature and each other .
The changing of seasons is life’s miracle as is life itself.
You can find Jemma’s work at Jemmapowell.com or follow her at powell.jemma.art; Jemma Powell is represented by Cricket Fine Art
Now it’s over to you- this week I’d love to know one book you think everyone should read? This one is for paids only I’m afraid, but you can join this and all my private chats as well as my writing group (and all my newsletters) by upgrading below