An Interview with Emma; Past Scholarship Recipient
/2023 scholarship applications are now open and due on June 6, 2022.
At North Country we value learning and community. We are proud to make scholarships available to bring more people into our workshops and our community. And we love to hear how North Country has influenced the work of our scholarship recipients …so we interviewed Emma Wimberley, our 2016 Young Artist Scholarship recipient.
Emma Wimberley lives in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to taking portrait and creative commissions, she is working at Ink Factory Studios and traveling the world to take Visual Notes for conferences and industry leaders. Thank you Emma for sharing your thoughts with us.
NCSW: How has your experience at NCSW influenced or enhanced your work?
Emma: Before NCSW, my drawing portfolio consisted of careful, hyper-realistic pencil drawings. My NCSW instructor, Bill Flynn, was the first person to challenge me to push my style. He encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone, and get “messy” with my work. It felt like a tough shift , but by the end of the NCSW week my work had the movement and expression I would not have found if I hadn’t been pushed in this workshop.
NCSW: Will you share something about your creative work?
Emma: Since attending NCSW, I’ve learned that a drawing does not have to make sense to be good. Experimenting with overlapping drawings, multiple tools, and collage has transformed my work and made making art more exciting!
NCSW: Was there an “aha” moment when you knew art was something you wanted to explore, or was it a gradual evolution?
Emma: My father paints with oils, so I grew up loving and making art. I went to college at University of Wisconsin, Madison, where I graduated with a degree in Textile Design and have continued to enjoy various artistic pursuits.
NCSW: What are your preferred materials? Preferred methods?
Emma: Lately I’ve preferred to experiment with different pens and pencils on paper, as well as some collage. I often attend a weekly figure drawing class in Chicago which gives me the chance to experiment with new materials and ways of drawing.
NCSW: What are your current goals for your artistic practice?
Emma: My goal is to keep my NCSW instructor Bill Flynn’s voice in my head as I create work. I want to continue to push myself to make more compelling work.
NCSW: Is there anything you would like to learn? Work on? Change?
Emma: I sometimes struggle with the idea before I start creating. I try to remember that the key is simply to get started, ideas will follow.
NCSW: Any words of encouragement for other “young artists” about NCSW?
I loved being able to walk around the scenic campus, listening to music and sketching. There was a feeling of community that reminded me of being on my own college campus - with groups of people gathered to drink wine and swap stories in the evenings. The quiet landscape offered an amazing chance to relax and creatively recharge over the week before returning to regular life.
To people considering this experience – don’t hesitate! Apply for one of the many scholarships and make the time to do this. The week brings so much more than just a chance to really focus on what you do. You learn and improve skills. You’ll meet people who are older and younger, working in different mediums, and every one of them will have something interesting to share and show you. North Country will inspire you and make your own work BETTER!
