Bio

Emily is originally from Massillon, Ohio where she grew up surrounded by farm animals, trees, and her constant arts and crafts creations. From aspiring her whole life to be a doctor, then a graphic designer, Emily decided on receiving her Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Dayton, graduating in May of 2019. She is currently working towards her Masters of Fine Arts at Kent State University. Emily’s work has been exhibited at the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center (Cincinnati, Ohio), Felsenhaus (Cincinnati, Ohio), 311 Gallery (Raleigh, North Carolina), Visual AIDS (New York, New York), and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), among other locations.

Artist Statement

I am drawn to the irony of painting and the pertinence of that concept to life in the modern world. Constantly finding the balance between too dull, too colorful, too simple, too complex, too elitist, too common. Humorous, but serious, playful, but quiet, covering too much up, giving too much away—balance, with a constant cognizant unbalance. I paint what I want. I paint what the painting needs. I paint to explore shapes, color, composition. I paint to learn. I paint as research. Most of all, I paint to paint. To push the medium, find its boundaries, and push some more. To see where the tipping point is. Which shapes butt heads. Which shapes form harmonies. And which shapes create a finished piece.

Constantly utilizing failures as a means for success. Replacing the word failure all together with improvement, betterment, progress, development, evolution, growth—breakthrough. Personally, I like the failed paintings. I like that they are out there, acting as a pedestal for the work to come. I like that in a year I may find them horrendous. I like that they are hidden in a drawer for only my eye to see. I especially like that they are around to remind me of the idea of progress, advocating in their own particular way for the successes, however big or small.