-Tell us about your self...where you are from, schooling, hobbies, what you do now, etc.
I am a born and raised Utah girl. I grew up loving the mountains, snowboarding and going to Bear Lake. I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Weber State University in 2008. During my education I was able to study Renaissance and Contemporary art abroad in Venice. After spending time in Italy, my husband and I started to become even more anxious to see other parts of the world. So we travel whenever we can. I love to explore but I definitely have my roots here in Utah. I am surrounded by close family and friends and spend a lot of time with them.
My little family consists of myself, my husband Nick and our little boy. We love art, music, theater, books, good food and scavenging for lost objects and oddities. There are always several creative projects going on between myself and Nick - who dabbles in photography, graphic design, and restoration of found objects. My little boy also spends a lot of time doing art projects at my side while I'm painting. He has a mini art easel set up next to mine and we spend many afternoons painting.
I have a workspace in my home where I feel a little like a very content, mad scientist who is always creating art. I do a lot of painting and some design work. I have been showing work in art shows for the Blonde Grizzly in Salt Lake City and The R&R Gallery in Los Angeles.
-Where do you get your inspiration from?
I am greatly influenced by the things I surround myself with. The music, literature, films that I am exploring always seem to effect the content and mood of my paintings. The people I'm around and the places I visit all have an energy that infuses itself into whatever I'm working on.
My recent work has been inspired a lot by how my life has changed in the last couple of years. Since having my little boy, I have become much more interested in the aspects of life that bring beauty into the world. I find that most of day to day life can feel very gray and mundane. It is a choice to live in those moments that bring color into the world and that make everything else worthwhile. Children seem to exist in those colorful places, so many times when I draw or paint I am trying to explore those moments or exist in them in some way. I reference memory a lot too as a means to revisit those emotions. The small painted doors I make signify passage ways into some of those places.
-How long have you been painting and drawing?
It has always just been a very natural thing for me to create artwork. I don't remember why I started or really choosing to be an artist. I was always drawing all over my notes in class and filling up sketchbooks in Jr. High and High School. By the time I got to Weber State I knew I would be pursuing art in one form or another. It has always just been a part of who I am and what I do.
-What is the best thing about being an artist?
Being able to do what I love. It is an awesome thing being able to spend my days creating and covered in paint. It really just comes down to that for me. It doesn't really matter what I may or may not get in return. I just feel grateful to be creating artwork.
-What is the worst thing about being an artist?
It can be hard to put your work out there for people to accept or reject. Because art is so relative, no matter what you create some people like it and some don't. But would we really want it any other way? It is also what makes it great.
-You have done several themed group shows. Do you like theme-based or self-directed shows better?
I really enjoy being able to do both. I love experimenting when I am a part of a "themed" show. I am challenged to put my own spin on subjects of pop culture that I may not normally deal with. The most exciting aspects of these group shows are the different interpretations of the same subject from all the talented artists. I'm fascinated by ideas other people come up with.
I have more freedom with self-directed work, but it can also be more challenging at the same time. I put more pressure on myself to dig deeper into what my work is about, but I have complete freedom to explore all my ideas. It can also be a relief to let all of the ideas that are swimming around in my head out and into a painting.
-Do you ever become attached to any of your paintings?
I have found myself getting more attached to my paintings. I put a lot into some of the pieces and it can be hard to say goodbye to them. In many cases I just want to be able to spend time with them before they are gone forever.
I was in a group show at the R&R Gallery in Los Angeles based on Mr. Bill Murray. I went out to the opening in California and it was an amazing event to be a part of. I became pretty attached to my painting "The Sailor" that I made for that show.
-What is your process?
I do a lot of planning and sketching. I am not an artist that can just sit down and start painting from scratch. All of my images I see in my head first, then I sketch and develop the idea until I feel like it is ready to be painted. I build my own surfaces and try to take my craftsmanship very seriously. The painting as an object has started to mean more to me than just the two dimensional surface. I paint the side panels and have begun drawing images on the back of each piece. It makes the painting feel more personal, like I know something about the work that the viewer doesn't.
Emily Hart Wood Painting from Nick Wood on Vimeo.
-What are 3 of your top 5 movies or books?
(Sorry my answer doesn't fit the question very well..)
The Goonies has been a favorite since I was a kid. I love Wes Anderson films (especially The Royal Tenenbaums), Bill Murray and more recently I have become infatuated with True Grit (2010).
I love reading books and books themselves. I collect antique novels and poetry books. I am a total Harry Potter and JRR Tolkien nerd. I also love other classics like Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, and To Kill a Mocking Bird.
I love the video on her painting. Good luck at your show this week-end.
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