MEET THE ARTIST
Emily Shepardson
painter, printmaker and collage artist.
I’m fascinated with all manner of executing my art. I paint, sew, cut, construct, illustrate, roll, stamp, color, and most recently, learned how to weld.
I will often recycle art that I created, sometimes years ago, and use it in a new way. I’m continually seeking ways to communicate a sense of belonging and connection.
Artist Statement
I am a painter and printmaker, but I am primarily a collage artist. Each print I make is a series of different plates and stencils, layered and combined until a satisfying image is achieved. Paintings often begin as a drawing or a scrap of a print to which elements, some three-dimensional, are added and subtracted. Any unsatisfying prints or paintings are recycled into new works as the endless collage cycle continues.
Some of my favorite imagery includes birds and buildings. I am fascinated with the patterns flying birds make in the air, embroidering an otherwise empty sky. Crows in particular intrigue me with their dramatic black coloring, sharp voices, and clever ways. What is that crow thinking? And what is it trying to tell me?
Asymmetrical slumping sheds off country roads are a comforting shape to me. And the skeletal house frames in historic St. Mary’s County, Maryland which function as placeholders for archaeologists, to me appear to be wooden sketches of homes. I am particularly intrigued by the idea of a skeleton house. What can that shape contain? What protection does that house offer?
My printing process involves overprinting, reversing images and ghost printing to come up with textured and varied prints. I am intrigued with playing with orientation in a picture and challenging the reading of a landscape. I favor jewel tones, but really the color depends on the day. If I had a TV show it would be called The Reckless Printmaker because I am willing to ruin a print by overworking it. I call this the opportunity of accident.
As an artist, I work mostly in painting and printmaking. Each method inspires the other and I work back and forth, riffing on ideas and themes. I gravitate toward the same humble images, such as birds in flight, trees, hands, gloves and the simple house shape.
“As a serious art collector, I purchase pieces representing Emily’s recurring themes—blackbirds, houses, gloves, shrines, peacock feet—all carefully situated in an unmistakable collage-style bursting with layers of color.
Emily has an eye for line, color, and composition that is highly evolved and her artistry creates beauty that goes well beyond the surface.”
Resume
EDUCATION
2013 • Master of Interdisciplinary Studies in Interdisciplinary Art, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, Emphasis in Painting and Printmaking.
1985 • Bachelor of Fine Art, Corcoran College of Art + Design, Washington, DC, Emphasis in Painting and Printmaking.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2008 – present • Visual Arts Instructor, Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Arlington County, Arlington, VA.
2008 • Art Instructor for Children’s Programs, Corcoran School of Art + Design, Washington, DC.
2005 – 2008 • Art Instructor, Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA.
OTHER SIGNIFICANT WORK EXPERIENCE
1987 – 2000 • Jewelry Designer, Two Chicks Jewelry and Emily Shepardson Designs, Arlington, VA.
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
2018 - present • Lee Art Center Printmaking Studio, Arlington, VA
2009 - present • National Art Education Association, Alexandria, VA.
2009 - present • Virginia Art Education Association, Reston, VA.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2018 • Small Domestic Miracles, Margaret W. & Joseph L. Fisher Gallery, Alexandria, VA
2013 • Fly Like Winging Birds, Master of Interdisciplinary Studies in Interdisciplinary Art Thesis Exhibition, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA at the Education Center, Arlington, VA.
2010 • A Full House, A Pair of Gloves and Three Birds, Verve Gallery, Petersburg, VA.
1999 • New Views, Lee Arts Center, Arlington, VA
1998 • Bridges, Arlington Central Library, Arlington, VA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021 • Uneditioned, Manhattan Graphics Center, New York, NY
2020 • Home: 29th Annual Juried Exhibition, Strathmore Mansion, Bethesda, MD
2019 • Flights of Fancy, Lee Arts Center, Arlington, VA
2019 • Artist Showcase: Movement, Java Shack, Arlington, VA
2018 • Artists who Teach, Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria, VA
2018 • Annual Show and Sale, Lee Arts Center, Arlington, VA
2016 • Teacher As Artist, Pyramid Atlantic, Hyattsville, MD
2016 • Creatures from the Sea, Del Ray Artisans, Alexandria, VA
2015 • National Small Works, Washington Printmakers, Washington, DC
2012 - 2015 • Sketchbook Project, Art House Co-op, Brooklyn, NY.
2009 - 2018 • Faculty Show, (Annual) Arlington Public Schools, Education Center, Arlington, VA.
2012 • Artomatic 2012, Crystal City, Arlington, VA.
1997 • Works on Paper, Arlington Central Library, Arlington, VA
PUBLICATIONS
2016 • The Northern Virginia Review, Volume 30, Spring 2016