Ruth Emma Davis

Ruth Emma Davis (b. 1981, Liverpool), has been featured in renowned publications such as: Vogue, Mundial, Copa90, This Fan Girl and Season Zine and has been commissioned by Adidas and Red Star FC for her beautiful football artwork which focuses on women. From grassroots to pro player, the work is about her experience of football- from playing in the park surrounded by wild flowers to portraits of pro players.Ruth works in acrylics and invests each work with an incredible richness and luminousity.

We were curious about her love for specifically football, so we decided to ask her a couple of questions.

Why did you start documenting sports through your pieces and not something Else?

A good question- got into sport because i was missing my home town Liverpool now I live in Brighton and football, LFC (Liverpool Football Club) was a way to feel connected (I think it’s team support is like that for a lot of people). I also used to enjoy playing football- in the park nothing more serious and I wanted my creativity to be invested in something that I enjoyed that made me feel good. It is a way of contributing to something you like, I want my work to show it in the most beautiful way possible 

So your love for football is mainly because of your Liverpool roots? What is it about football that fascinates you, and not something else like basketball for example?

I wasn’t that into it when I was a child, it happened more when I was older and moved to Brighton. But yes I guess it started with Liverpool but has grown beyond that (and I never wanted to make work just about that, it had to be wider, more universal) the football clubs are integral to the city , it makes sense viewed through football. I don’t know anything about basketball and I don’t know anyone (yet) who does- not to say I wouldn’t enjoy it if introduced to it but am not surrounded by it, whereas football in U.K. is everywhere and is linked to a sense of place- if that makes sense, so that’s where the connection comes from.

For more information about Ruth, check out her Instagram and website.