We had the pleasure of correspondence with Northern California native and artist Emerald Barkley. Truly a kind and compassionate human being, Barkley says she likes to exhibit the tender glow of people in her artwork. The art coming from her is riddled with beautiful pastels and images of skulls, flowers, animals, and sometimes even teeth. Take a moment to explore inside the mind of our featured artist, Emerald Barkley.
When did you know you get started painting and when did you develop your current style?
Oh that’s a hard question to answer! I started painting when I was in high school with those funny art kits that kids get for Christmas. I began taking it seriously in community college when an art teacher suggested that I apply for the art scholarship offered at the school, The Hallberg Merit Award. I ended up winning the award and that was when I started to feel like I could have a place in the creative community.
Did you do any formal training?
I do not have formal art training in the sense that most people think – I didn’t go to art school or an atelier. I have worked with a number of fantastic artists over the years both in online and on ground environments. I had the beautiful opportunity to work with Marc Scheff in SmArt School and with Tracy Lewis at her former studio in northern California.
And of course, I have worked really hard on my own. I think that being an artist comes with an obsessive quality that keeps us returning to our mediums in continued effort to describe our experiences, and there is a lot of learning that takes place in those long spaces as well.
Have you always drawn skulls and nature?
Yes. Themes of beautiful and decadent decay have always been present in my work. The ideas that I am trying to express have grown more nuanced with time as my exploration in them continues. I love using bones to describe our selves laid bare, without all of the baggage that our egos bring to the table, working in flowers and animals to talk about aspects of identity and mental health.
Who are some of your biggest influences?
I’d have to credit my former teacher and current friend Tracy Lewis as a huge influence. I worked with Tracy for a few years when she was teaching out of her studio in my area and she has very much informed the way that I see and use color.
I think many of my other influences are less of a direct visual influence; rather, they get me to think more deeply about my own relationship with my work, and how best to have a language and understanding of the ideas and experiences that I want to communicate. Artists that challenge me in this way are Teagan White, Christina Mrozik, Sandi Escobar, Jennifer Hrabota and Sam Guay.
