emma coulter volume 3, 2007, #033

emma coulter is an irish-born, aussie gal, who currently lives in queensland and paints from her sunny studio located at the sunshine coast. her artwork is a celebration of freedom, discovery, and indulgence, which aims to challenge the beliefs of a results-focused and materialistic society. her paintings are a rebellion against structure, established rules and accepting the status quo.

1. how would you explain 'art' - in 19 words or less? art is a fundamental tool for communicating my thoughts and feelings, and translating them into a visual language. it's basic instinct.

2. what is the first work of art you ever loved? i can't remember back into the depths of my childhood, but when i was in art college i remember falling in love with the installation work of yayoi kusama. i loved her obsession with dots and her ability to explore the subject matter of dots so exhaustively.

3. how important is theory to your art? my artwork generally rejects theory, a consequence of being subjected to the brainwashing theory, rules and regulations of art college. i might take it up again one day.

4. describe your ideal art workspace. sunny, warm, white walls, easy to maintain, enables mess to be made with no concerns of splashing walls, floors, ceilings, etc., lots of loud music and solitude, with the ability to 'get amongst it' when being in your own headspace starts driving you insane.

5. describe your current art workspace. a converted four-car garage of which every fc shingled sheet has been painstakingly painted white, in a process to try to strip it of its former life. the garage doors open straight up into the backyard which has the benefit of allowing all the fumes to escape, and the sun to come in, with the disadvantage of letting all the bugs in. it basically meets all of the above criteria (admittedly, i could leave the daddy long legs, ants and geckos behind). my only other issue is that it lacks the ability to 'get amongst it' and be a culture-vulture. the solitude sometimes drives me insane.

6. if you could be placed in suspended animation and safely reanimated at some time in the future with the sole purpose being to see how history treated you / your art, would you do it?
difficult question. i think all that an artist ever really wants to achieve is to be able to have the freedom to make art every day, whilst being able to successfully make a living out of it, without having to sacrifice all the creature comforts of life, and having to work in another industry to support their passion. if i was to look back from outer space on my life as an artist, i would like to see that my artwork brought an immense sense of joy and satisfaction to the people who purchased, experienced and saw it. i would also like to be able to peer down and see that in some way my artwork helped people heal themselves and express their own feelings. i would like to see that i was a well respected visual artist, who had an endless amount of passion to offer the world.

7. who are some of your favourite artists (contemporary or canonical)? such a hard question … so many artists to choose from. historically, i love cindy sherman for her kookiness and ability to transform herself into a thousand different characters … barbara kruger, for her ability to merge text and image so provocatively, addressing cultural representations of power, identity, and sexuality while challenging stereotypes and clichés, whilst crossing over to the realms of architecture and design. in terms of current artists, i love the work of local artist bruce reynolds and the way he transforms old and discarded materials into beautiful and evocative pieces. i've also recently discovered the beautiful sculptural works of glenn murray.

8. tell us about a gallery (online or physical space) that you think rocks, and why you think it rocks. www.arthives.com rocks because it provides a cost-effective solution for visual artists to get their work out there without dishing out an exorbitant fee to get a website up and running, or paying the hijacking commissions and fees often charged by galleries.

9. would you choose the baked bean jaffle or the caramelised pumpkin and red onion tart with crispy radicchio and hazelnut salad with apple vinaigrette? definitely the caramelised pumpkin and red onion tart with crispy radicchio and hazelnut salad with apple vinaigrette … after all, you only live once.

10. finish this sentence: "the work of art can / cannot be considered separately to the artist because ________." the work of art cannot be considered separately to the artist because the artwork is an expression of the psyche - without the artist, there is no art.

check out more of emma's work at: www.emmacoulter.com.au

in the twinkling of an eye,
acrylic and gloss enamels on canvas, 2005

hullabaloo,
acrylic and gloss enamels & impasto on canvas, 2005

tangled
tangled, acrylic and gloss enamels on canvas, 2006

smeared grass, acrylic and gloss enamels on canvas, 2006

so sweet, acrylic and gloss enamels on canvas, 2006