Emer Whelan is an Irish artist, originally from Co. Mayo, and now based in Galway City, where she has lived for over fifteen years. Deeply inspired by the landscapes, folklore, and quiet poetry of the West of Ireland, her work explores the connection between nature, spirit, and memory.

Emer works from her workshop in Galway, using a laser cutter to create her pieces and seeing each work through from the first idea to the final finished form. This hands-on process allows her to remain closely connected to every stage of creation.

Through organic forms, extensive colour palette, and layered textures, Emer’s art captures moments of stillness and transformation, where the seen and unseen meet.

Living with an autoimmune condition has profoundly shaped Emer’s creative process. Through illness, she has learned to seek and find healing in unexpected places, in silence, in nature, and in the act of creation itself. Her art reflects this journey toward restoration, expressing how vulnerability and strength can coexist in harmony.

Her work is rooted in intuition and storytelling, translating ancient Irish mythology and the natural world into a contemporary visual language. At its heart, her art is a practice of healing, a way to reconnect with what is whole, both within and beyond ourselves.