Emily Finch, a senior Muse Scholar, is primarily a 2-dimensional artist.  She’s classically trained in oil painting, often works with acrylics and watercolor, and really enjoys printmaking, too.

However, after an art-heavy semester in fall 2019, Emily had to take a much-needed break from art–and hadn’t made a painting since that semester.  But when Emily’s friend posted online about struggling to find the perfect art piece to match her space, Emily messaged her right away.

“I’ve known her for honestly more than eight years–and I was like, ‘Hey, what are you thinking about?  If you want, I could make a piece that fits what you’re looking for, because you’re not gonna find one online that feels like you,’” Emily said.  “And she was like, ‘Oh my god, that would be incredible!’  So I asked her what size she wanted and what type of color scheme… And then she basically just told me: do whatever you want.” 

Emily thought about what she knew about her friend: she likes the color blue, she loves the outdoors, and she would want something that “wouldn’t overpower or overtake” the living room (where the painting would go).

“So I went with a monochrome painting of hills and the moon,” Emily said.

Emily usually does not actively search for commissions, but if someone comes to her with an idea, she’ll work with them and see if she can do it in a way where she won’t feel overwhelmed.  

“I’m the type of person that, once I start getting paid for something a lot–especially something with art–it starts to feel like a chore.  Even when I was making paintings at Hunter, I didn’t really enjoy it as much, because it felt like a chore to me.” 

Emily said that this commission was “really refreshing” because her friend gave her a lot of freedom with the piece, telling Emily to make something that she wants to make.

“I want to make sure that I keep art as a safe place for me to relax and release tension and stress that I’ve built up–that’s what it’s been my whole life.”

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Follow Emily’s Instagram page for more artwork: https://www.instagram.com/emilyfinch_art

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