As a writer, I like to think of myself as a creative. In fact, I take great pride in considering myself part of a worldwide community of artists, musicians, and wordsmiths who touch so many lives with their work. When Emma approached me to help shape some assets for her upcoming art shows, I jumped at the chance. There's nothing I love more than gathering a person's unique genius into words - particularly when it supports a talented artist in connecting with her people.
Emma Gonzalez, Artist Bio
Emma Gonzalez was born in Sussex, England in 1965. Throughout her youth, nature proved a constant sanctuary in which to simultaneously lose and discover herself. Raised in the countryside among four spirited and headstrong brothers, the short-cropped, rolling hills of the South Downs often beckoned her into a peaceful escape beyond the walls of her boisterous household. There, the imperceptible interaction of soul and space nurtured a longing for inner exploration and autonomy.
At 18, influenced by her father’s architectural drawings and her mother’s lifelong interest in photography, Gonzalez took her journey of self-discovery deeper with art courses at Eastbourne College. She then pursued an intensive study of photography, film, and television at the Arts University College in Bournemouth. When behind the camera lens, she stepped confidently into a role of creative experimentation, exhibiting a natural eye for balanced composition. Through still imagery, she eagerly examined the interplay of light and dark, familiar and unfamiliar, capturing a vibrant, ethereal nuance in well-worn landscapes.
As Gonzalez found her footing in the world of full-time photography, the lives and relationships of those she loved back at home began to crumble. Even from miles away, the turmoil consumed her artistic energy, exhausting her mental focus. Disconnected from her work and mired in uncertainty regarding her future, Gonzalez received a choice bit of counsel that shifted her trajectory entirely: go and find a change of scenery. Just a few weeks later, she boarded a flight to California armed with one small suitcase, leaving behind the refuge of her established surroundings for a serendipitous encounter with the great unknown.
Steadily, nestled among the diverse coastal woodlands and sprawling chaparral of Los Padres Forest, her mind and body reawakened to the simple joy of traversing uncharted territory. As the weeks stretched into months and the years into decades, Gonzalez discovered a renewed sense of home in a realigned relationship with nature. Drawn to the field of equestrian training, riding, and packing into the mountains, she reoriented herself upon the land, finding solace in the sacred connection between animal and earth. In time, after committing creative energy to forge cherished roles as wife, mother, business owner, and community member, she returned to the practice of art as a homecoming to herself.
A lifetime of reverent observation and relentless exploration is now realized in a new collection of oil on canvas pieces that honor a profound appreciation for land and home. Inspired by her grandmother’s artistic accomplishments and the work of classical painters, Gonzalez reinterprets the great outdoors with a dynamic, dreamlike aesthetic. Her paintings are displayed and sold at Gallery 113 in Santa Barbara, as well as at the Carpinteria Arts Center and Goleta Valley Library. She is also set to exhibit her work in May of 2024 at Villa LVI in Hove, England.
Committed to honing her craft, Gonzalez continues to perfect the fundamentals in courses at Santa Barbara City College. She is also a proud member of SCAPE, Southern California Artists Painting for the Environment, and the Goleta Valley Art Association.
Emma Gonzalez, Artist Statement
“The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry
When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
We often think of landscape as a fixed point and place in time. Such a static depiction empties the outdoors of its boundless energy and keeps us from seeing it as it truly is: an enduring force from which we, ourselves, draw life.
From a young age, I have felt this deep relationship and connection with the earth. During moments when my heart could not articulate its longing or despair, I would wander into nature, yearning for the sense of home and healing freely found there.
Without fail, a transformation occurs when I walk upon an open space. I enter into its story, becoming part of its history. I’ve practiced and cultivated the act of submitting myself to the wild, taking in all that I hear, smell, feel, and experience.
All of this becomes part of me and my story, the moments that make up my life, and the reflection I render onto the canvas. The emotions that I feel, the experiences that saturate my perspective - these influence my view of the scenery and the light that gives it color.
Every time I step up to the easel, I uncover something new about myself and this practice. The blank canvas is an opportunity to experiment with new color schemes and unexplored palettes. Often, the scene itself sets the tone, beckoning me to find the shades that resonate with its energy as the rich malleability of the oil paint invites me to find my own pace; to manipulate and rework the details until my vision is fully realized.
I invite you to walk with me into these familiar spaces and see with fresh eyes a landscape that has perhaps become all too ordinary. Rediscover the timeless splendor and immeasurable transformation available to us in abundance with just a small shift in perspective.