Emily Long — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Biography

I am an oil painter based in Los Angeles, CA with a professional background in business law and civil litigation. I have been painting for 24 years in mixed mediums, and started oil painting professionally about a year ago. I describe my work as illustrative in nature, the stories viewers of my work derive from their own personal perceptions are endlessly captivating to me. Each painting is a journey for me as an artist and my effort is to capture an abundance of meaning and history and compress it into vivid imagery.

Artist Statement

Art has been meaningful to me in more ways than I can put into words. It is more than a hobby or an outlet for creativity. All my life it has been both a reflection of my mind and a means to disassociate from the mundane and harsh realities that surround us all. I made the decision to finally pursue my passion in its entirety, and would be immensely honored to be recognized as an international art award recipient.

What first prompted you to think of becoming an artist?

I don't remember the first time I picked up a paint brush, but it was before I knew how to read or write. I fell in love with painting and sketching as my father passed along his art books and I observed his techniques throughout my childhood. I carried a sketchbook with me everywhere as a child, spent a great deal of time in my father's make-shift studio at his apartment, and have gifted my mother a painting every year for Mother's Day since 1997. I have always desired to become an artist. For practical reasons, family considerations, and other motivations, I refrained from pursuing art school and instead graduated from business school to become a legal professional. My father was an engineer and we would often joke about the ability to toggle our left and right brains at will. "Build your career, leave time for what you love," but in recent years, my greatest motivation has been building a career in what I truly love most.

What kind of an artist do you ultimately see yourself?

I see myself as a complex visual artist, illustrative artist, and a visual storyteller. I want my paintings to tell detailed stories while capturing aesthic and vivid visuals.

What are you hoping to communicate to the viewer through your work?

I attempt to capture as much imagery in my paintings as possible to deliver the most impact and fascination to my viewers. Many of my paintings are based in personal or relatable experience, world affairs, or mythology. I am intrigued by the messages people derive from my paintings. For example, "Goodbye, Salacia" is a contemporary rendition of the Roman Goddess, Salacia, goddess of salt water. In the painting, she is being pulled into the remnants of an old kingdom by a squid as her skin deteriorates. I intended to illustrate the murder of the sea by mankind, whereas viewers have since derived messages rooted in violence against women and other social complexities. As an artist, I have no desire to insist on the messages my mind portrayed, rather I am deeply fascinated by what my viewers take away from the imagery.

Can you explain the process of creating your work?

My process is either carefully calculated or entirely free-range depending on the person sitting at the easel. When my father's daughter sits down with a brush a huge amount of planning, sketching, layering, and immaculate attention to detail goes into the process. I sketch with charcoal, underpaint abstract visuals, and underpaint portraits in acrylic before adding oil layers. These often take months to complete. When I'm sitting at my own easle I don't think about the process. I might browse for some general inspiration, but my hands move freely and without hesitation. I never scrap a painting. I throw paint, spray paint, use mixed media, and create a layer of raw and free emotion. Once I start adding my subjects, I use them to gauge my free-form ability. They're never perfect, but this is when I let my self-taught side shine and enjoy surprising myself with the result.

What is your favorite part of the creative process?

My favorite part is paying attention to the path my mind takes in the process. Often the first visual I imagine for my painting takes a dramatic turn, or undergoes a series of small alterations that result in an entirely new visual. I enjoy later mapping out the progression and identifying the emotion and ideas that evolved during the creative process. It gives me a great level of insight into my own mind.

Can you give us an insight into current projects and inspiration, or what we can look forward to from you in the near future?

I've been taking a more abstract approach to my current projects, testing my free-range abilities. My next series will take an opposite turn as I've been doing a great amount of research into Norse mythology, and have several renditions in mind that will best be illustrated with a more precise methodology.

Website Emilylongart.com

Instagram @emilylongart___

Facebook Emily Long Art