It’s said that a picture says a thousand words, but in the eyes of Emily Holder, a painting says more. Though you can scroll through your phone and reminisce on memories of your child’s first sports game or pet’s first trip to the vet in your photo library, there’s something special about an artist adding depth with their rendition of those same images. This is exactly what Holder does to her portraits and other creations, “even a single brush stroke can create movement and action.”
During the height of the pandemic, rather than sitting inside and watching the latest limited series on Netflix like most of us, Holder decided to spend her time with more purpose. Devastated but inspired by Covid-19, she chose to create portraits of the lives lost with her talent. Gifting an image that captured the nature of loved ones sparked a passion that has continued in the following years and led her to provide art lessons for kids and adults as well as bringing images of friends, family, and pets to life on canvas for commission.
Though currently finishing an art residency in New York, Holder’s talents will return home in the fall along with her new ideas and skills. While she’ll be busy illustrating books for commission, she will continue spreading her passion and joy of art to others with lessons and furthering her latest endeavor; a workshop to teach others to paint their pets. Her bubbly personality and natural creative gift are the perfect blend to invoke excitement for the arts in all ages.