Emilia Kallock: “All art is an encouragement”
What do thumb tacks, bananas and duct tape have in common? They’ve all made solo appearances recently in sketches and paintings by Seattle artist Emilia Kallock, who’s currently embarked on a visual exploration of everyday things. But the works she creates from humble objects are anything but ordinary.
I met Emilia in 2002, when I moved into a studio next to hers in the 619 Western Building in Pioneer Square. One of the things that immediately struck me about her was the way she looks at things, at scenery, and at you. She kind of cocks her head to one side, hmmmm, as if she’s measuring you against some invisible yardstick, perhaps engaging in an inner dialogue about the color of your shirt, or deciding that you’re wasting her time, or that she’d like to paint you. But today we have the luxury of not having to guess what she’s thinking, because she’s going to come right out and say it right here, right now…
Q: How long have you been creating art, and what got you started?
I’ve been painting and drawing for as long as I can remember. As a little girl it seems like I was always given paints and paper for birthdays and Christmas, and it became a way for me to keep busy. I suppose it just stuck, and it has followed me through everything else I’ve done in life. I’ve now found that creating art is as essential as brushing your teeth.
Q: What would you say has been your biggest influence as an artist?
When it comes to painting, I think the best way too grasp technique and analyze composition is by looking at great paintings in real life. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit some of the world’s best art museums, in particular when I studied art history in Spain for a year as part of the international politics degree I was taking at the George Washington University. I honestly would spend hours in Madrid’s major art museums: el Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza, and la Reina Sofia, picking apart the ways in which the masterworks may have been executed. The dramatic works of El Greco made a huge impression on me because of their high contrast tones and thick, unique brushwork. As of late, I’ve been really admiring the raw confidence in artwork done by Antoni Tapies, Jean Dubufett and Milton Avery, all whose work strike me as particularly honest and gutsy. But all art is an encouragement just because it exists, even if it is the shallow, condo-art kind.
Q: One of the things that always strikes me about your work is how happy it feels. Even when you’re tackling sober subjects, I always find lightheartedness and laughter just beneath the surface of your paintings. Is that something you’re conscious of? Where does it come from?
Uh, because we are living in the 21st century, and look what’s going on around us. Media and the Internet have altered normal conceptions of time and space, and is actually changing the way we define reality. Globalization is homogenizing the world’s ancient cultures, and we’re only kidding ourselves if we think there is anything less than a wholesale attack on Mother Earth. And now, postmodernism has shattered the legitimacy of any one authority in just about every field. How do we mentally deal with these things? If you want to forget about it all, you retreat into fabricated entertainment and admire condo-art. Fine. Or you portray the possible horror and apocalypse that is awaiting us all. But who really wants to stare at a disgusting nightmare like that when you come home? I may later on in life when I’m really jaded, but for now, I’m convinced we need uplifting cultural products. “Uplifting cultural products.” That’s what I repeat out loud when I paint. Just kidding. I admit, it is hard sometimes to stay upbeat with everything that’s going on but when it comes to choosing between distraction, despair or hope I’ll choose the latter. I guess that manifests itself in images that give me pleasure or make me smile, but don’t let me off that easy either.
Q: Are you making your living entirely as an artist? What have you done to make ends meet? What sort of things do you do want to accomplish as an artist?
I’ve been living la vida boheme, which means I’ve made it a requirement that the places I work and live must foster the creative process directly or indirectly. Upon moving back to Seattle from the East Coast I moved into a barely hospitable artist’s loft in a warehouse downtown. There I began to seriously pursue art daily. I had a hot pot for my cooking and shared a bathroom down the hall. It was always freezing and noisy from the viaduct out in front and the adjacent occupants playing loud music at all hours. I paid rent from the occasional sale of small sketches and the even less occasional sale of a large painting, and by working at a high-end flower shop, where I am still employed. The flower shop plays a part by providing a ton of creative inspiration, and more recently, by becoming the subject of a large, colorful children’s book I’ve illustrated.
Within the last few years, I’ve worked on just getting my stuff out there, exhibiting in cafes, boutiques, a salon, and a bookstore. In addition, along the way I’ve welcomed commissions of landscapes, portraits, and my favorite, paintings of animals. I feel comfortable in dividing my skills into activities that keep the creative juices flowing, and that for the moment are more commercially viable than my private artwork. But in the end, it’s all done to support painting. That is what matters.
Q: Has Burning Man influenced you personally and/or artistically?
Not any more than Fox News or my commute home. Burning Man is an extremely decadent gathering that affords me the much welcomed space to meet other non-conformists and free thinkers. At the same time, I continue to be blown away how the festival proves time and again that the creative faculty runs deep in ALL people and its different applications are endless. That is a wonderful thought!
Q: What kinds of things are you excited about painting right now, and why?
I don’t know if I really want to tell you. It might give away my formula. My progress can be seen on my website, www.kallock.com.
Q: How’s Biznik working out for you so far?
I’ve received a referral and I’ve found many business members whose services I will most likely use in the future. The great thing about Biznik is that the profiles and adjoining blogs expose a significant amount of information about what the members do and networking events provide a place to meet them. And now, through the interviews, we are learning that much more about each another, which I think is Biznik’s big strength. I am encouraged, as I hope other members are, to go out and invite in other people whose services or products are out there making a difference, but whom may not yet have an online presence.
To visit Emilia’s website is to take an extraordinary trip through her development as an artist. She’s posted hundreds of her paintings and sketches, organized chronologically from 2000 — 2006. You can also search by title and date for specific paintings. www.kallock.com
