{ Anna at the Window, 10″x11″, oil on canvas }
As some of you may know by now, Issue No. 12—our current release—explores the work and homes of artists. The issue’s entertaining story, “Portrait of a Party,” features a dinner hosted by Nashville painter Emily Leonard in her studio. The studio is housed in a 1950s-era Quonset hut, located in the woods behind the home that Emily shares with her husband and their new baby.
The party celebrated a new stage in Emily’s career—highlighting her collection of portraits, which are a departure from her landscape paintings. “This portrait series that I’ve started are all of women so far, and all of the chosen subjects are women I know rather well,” says Emily. “I tend to paint the familiar, although I have stopped strangers before and asked to paint them! I’m not exactly sure why I’m drawn to the particular subjects/women that I chose, although I know it has something to do with the stories that I see in their faces.”
{ Addie in the Studio, 11″x14″, oil on panel }
{ Girl in Ink and Gesso, 5″x7″, ink and gesso on paper }
{ Robin in the Studio, 8″x11″, oil on paper }
“With my landscape work and with my portraits, I am always trying to see that which is underneath: the colors, lines, and stories below the surface,” continues Emily. ”For me, painting is an excavation. I suppose that is why my pieces are usually so layered and washy.” You can view Emily’s past landscapes on her website, where you can also find her contact information if you’d like to find out more about her portraits.
P.S. If you haven’t picked up a copy of Issue No. 12 yet, it’s still available at most of our stockists. The delicious recipes by Lisa Donovan that accompany “Portrait of a Party” are not to be missed!