Emily Balivet

by kate wolford

Every issue, I’ll be finding an artist whose work I love, but who may not be known to readers. Emily Balivet,whohasan Etsyshop ofthesamename,is our first featured artist. The gorgeous colors and psychedelic vibe that Emily’s work has really pulledmein.

What lured you into art? What experiences made you say, “I want to be an artist”?

I was creating art from a very early age and found thatIcouldcompletelyescapeanycurrentsituation and create my own reality during the artistic process. It was never about the end result to me, but about where my mind would be allowed to wander and be playful. The fact that when the day was done a product was made that could be sold to fundanotherdayofartwasasublimerealization. quicklyrealizedthat

Who and what are your influences? Are there specific artists or time periods you are inspired by? I sense a ‘60s and ‘70s psychedelic and pop art vibe, but what do you sense your influences are?

There is no question music is the backdrop to most of the inspiration behind my art. If music really moves me, I’m transported to another world, and a lot of my art is an attempt to bring back one small piece of where the music has taken me. A lot of the music I’ve been drawn to comes out of the 60’s and 70’s. Of course mythology and fairy tales are also a main inspiration. Certain philosophical and mystical concepts have also sparked my imagination. I try and weaveallofthatintomyart.

A compelling gothic fairytale by bruja and award-winning writer Maria DeBlassie.

The women o Sueño, New Mexico don’t know how to live a li e without sorrows. That’s La Llorona’s doin …

In a battle for her life, Mercy fights to break the chains of generationaltraumaandreclaim her soul free from ancestral hauntings by turning to the only things that she knows can save her: plant medicine, pulp books, and the promise of a love so strong not even La Llorona can stop it from happening. What unfolds is a stunning tale of one woman’s journey into magic, healing,andrebirth.

Other books

by Maria DeBlassie

NOW AVAILABLE FROM KITCHEN WITCH PRESS www.mariadeblassie.com quicklyrealizedthat

Your work has almost exclusively female subjects.What informs that?

There is no particular reason I can give for this. It may be that my art is a reflection of my own present state. As I said before, I am not particularly aware of what I am painting when I get into it. Sometimes I know exactly what I intend when I start a painting, but it rarely goes my way anyway. I just chalk it up tothemuseusingme.

You do lots of goddess images. Is that based on your own religious beliefs? Just a love of all things goddess?What’s the inspiration for that?

Mythology and storytelling are not only ancient forms of entertainment. It’s my feeling that myths are a deep well to be drawn from all the highs and lows of the human experience. They offer divine inspiration andguidance. eaveallofthatintomyart.

What are your favorite fairy tales and myths?

I would say there are themes and motifs in myths thatresonatewithmemorethanothers.I’mdrawnto stories with a perfect balance of light and dark—the expression of bursting free after a long, seemingly hopeless period of dormancy or that extraordinarily elevated moment that is perfectly proportional to the amount of suffering experienced. The story that immediately comes to mind is “The Juniper Tree,” by the Brothers Grimm. It has been a favorite with myfamilyforyears.

Emily’s mini bio: “My childhood years were spent in Vermont and Alaska and primed me for introversion and creativity. The long winters spent indoors allowed me time to explore my aesthetic as well as deepened my appreciation for the natural world. I am entirely self taught and found my favored medium of expression is painting with oils and acrylics. In the late 90’s, I began marketing my art online and returned toVermont where I presently reside.”