Emily Jean Stewart News

Painting to an Audience at LCU

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:19:09 CST

I have had several opportunities to paint live, to an audience. I'm sure many people have seen something similar done before. The concept of painting and speaking at the same time occurred to me when I was asked to speak at a Christian school chapel service in Shell, Ecuador. Up to that time, the concept had only been a seed in my mind, one which I had no intentions of growing into a full blown concept until I was unexpectedly offered the opportunity to speak at this particular chapel service. The audience would range from 5 year to 12 year olds. Having been trained in education, I was well aware of the immense cognitive gap I was to address. I wanted my message to be accessible to the little bitties without boring the older ones to death. Thank God, the experience went well!

Most recently, I was asked to be a guest speaker at Lubbock Christian University, my alma mater. I am often asked if I paint the same thing every time, and the answer is ‘no.’ It is important to me to connect with the audience. I wait for divine inspiration (which requires a dose of patients on my part), and then plan my talk around the theme and image that I am given.

This particular painting is comprised of a series of abstract faces. Each row represents a specific season in my life, and the faces represent specific individuals whose presence shaped my life. While painting I was able to share stories of these individuals; relationships that have been so important in my life. I think most people have a short list of family members/friends/mentors who have listened, guided, and inspired along the often-winding road of life. In retrospect, I see that many of those people, in my life, ended up being more like anchors, helping me stay connected to the things I value most in life.

In the end, I pleaded with the audience of college students to seek out their passions, and pursue them whole-heartedly. We stand to make a greater impact on this world by doing that which we were created to do. Idealistic? Yes. Challenging? In ways I never dreamed. Worth every ounce of time and struggle? So far, my answer is YES.

Progression of the Duhgoggie

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:12:20 CST

When my now 15 year-old cousin was 2-ish he pronounced the word 'doggie' as 'goggie'. In an effort to correct his mispronunciation I annunciated the first letter of the word repeatedly, "Josiah say, duh duh duh doggie." To which he replied, "duh duh duh duhgoggie.' Brilliant.

I've committed to paint several realistic paintings from photographs I've taken. While this is not my favorite way to approach painting, I'd like to think it helps my technical skill a bit. It might be better to paint from real life... often painting from a photograph causes a sense of flatness in the painting, but I'm going to ignore that fact for now. I love photography so much, I might as well put it to good use.

I've posted another painting from this series in my gallery.

Thinking Takes Work

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:55:35 CST

I hope that the Listening Project is something I continue to do for a long, long time. Yesterday, I spent time reflecting on the few paintings that have been completed thus far. I asked myself 4 questions about each painting: 1. What do I remember about the experience itself, what stands out in my mind? 2. What is the most successful thing about the completed painting? 3. What is the least successful thing? 4. What did this painting teach me? What knowledge can I take with me to improve upon the next listening painting?

Thinking takes work. Well, this kind of thinking does, for me at least. After reflecting on each of the paintings I found that, while there are still major strides that need to be made on my part, I am please with the fruit of this project. It unites 2 of my greatest personal values: creativity and communication. I get to do both at the same time, and for me it's extremely fulfilling.

I am interested to hear reflections on the experience from those who collaborated with me. I would like to do a blog post containing quotes from them. Maybe it will encourage you to join me on this little adventure? Who knows.

Listening Project: Andrea Reynolds

The Listening Project, thus far

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:28:25 CST

Six paintings have been completed for the Listening Project. Each painting has been a unique learning experience. It is amazing how much the spirit and emotion of the person effects the manifestation and of the image. Although the paintings are similar in style, with similar use of line, texture, and composition, they each seem to posses a unique essence. Even though I am the one doing the painting, the finished project is as much a surprise to me as it is to my collaborators.

I enjoy the process because I am forced to listen carefully while making quick decisions. I have to problem-solve the entire time as I consider the following: What is my collaborator really trying to say? What reoccurring themes do I hear? What is the overall mood of the story being told? How do I translate the auditory messages I'm receiving into visual images? It is challenging, but very thrilling. If I could schedule 4 to 5 Listening sessions per day, life would be unbelievably amazing.

I am interested to hear responses from individuals who have not heard the stories behind the paintings. If you have comments or questions about any of these I would love to hear them.

I'm still on holiday in New Mexico, and one of the 6 paintings is in Texas. I don't have a decent photo of that painting, otherwise it would have been included as well (sorry, Andrea!) I'll get it up ASAP.

Video: Painting to an Audience

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:09:30 CST

Last week I painted and spoke to a small group of women in Comanche, TX. They were very gracious and encouraging. Click here to see a video of the presentation!