Newark artist creates bold, textured images with paper

NEWARK – From far away, guests walking into The Works' latest gallery exhibition might think the artist was a painter.

Artist Emily Kohser Talbott is used to this reaction from people seeing her work for the first time. But anyone walking up to a piece to get a closer look will discover it's not a painting at all, but something quite different.

In fact, they are collages made up of hundreds of colorful scraps of paper, all working together to create the texture and depth often found in a painting. Talbott actually calls her technique "painting with paper," rather than grouping it with traditional collages.

Talbott was not a trained artist when she developed the medium. She was simply a stay-at-home mother looking for something to do. At the time, she couldn't help but feel as if the only thing she was contributing to the world was her skills for cleaning. There had to be something more she could give, she thought.

"I wanted to create something that people would like and think it was beautiful," she said. "I was very desperate to find something to contribute and something that could make people happy."

So she picked up a paintbrush. Talbott started with creating watercolor stories for her son when he was a baby, but she didn't really like the results. Oils were out because, with a baby around, it wasn't practical — plus, paint and supplies can get expensive.

There were some scraps of paper lying around the house, so she started experimenting with that. It created the bold and textured look that she was looking for, so she kept with it.

"I found this process through necessity, but I love it," she said. "The paper is handmade, mostly from Nepal and Thailand. Just like with painting, you have to work with a palette. You have to consider the weight of the paper, the patterning and what pulp was used to create it."

Talbott uses three layers of paper to create the color she wants, and each piece is placed deliberately on the paper. Things don't just happen on her canvas, like colors flowing into one another and blending. Paper doesn't flow, so she has to go in with a defined plan before tackling a piece.

But once she starts to work, it seems like the art takes on a life of its own, Talbott said.

A collection of Talbott's work is on display in The Works' gallery, at 55 S. First St., in Newark. The show, titled "The Rhythm of Life," features images that celebrate the diversity of the natural and cultural world.

Most of Talbott's inspiration comes from India. She has been fascinated by the country and its culture since she was a young girl, drawn in by how colorful it was. Images of women and children dominate her work. One of her pieces depicts a woman breastfeeding; another shows women tossing flower petals into a river.

Focusing on women and mothers is important to Talbott, not only because she is one but also because she feels they are under-represented in the art world and she wants to change that.

She loves sharing her work with others but had to admit it leaves her walls rather bland.

"I live with my art. I don't do a piece and then ship it off somewhere. I live with it. So right now, my apartment is very bare. I miss my art sometimes," she said. "So when someone else sees my work and wants a print for their home, it's the biggest compliment in the world to me that they want to live with my art too."

emaddern@newarkadvocate.com

740-328-8513

Twitter: @emmaddern

About this series

Licking County is home to many talented artists, and we want to showcase them. Artist Spotlight is a new monthly series featuring local artists of all mediums — drawing, photography, painting, sculpture, etc. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at advocate@newarkadvocate.com or 740-328-8821.

If You Go

What: "The Rhythm of Life"

When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday until Oct. 9

Where: The Works, 55 S. First St., Newark

Cost: Free

FYI: 740-349-9277 or www.attheworks.org