Greenville News
April 18, 2007

Self-taught portrait artist credits mom for his success
Artist Emerson works in all types of media

Published: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 - 2:00 am
By Aubrae Wagner
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Self-taught and dedicated to his craft, full-time artist Jared Emerson attributes much of his aspiration to be an artist to his mother, a woman who saw a spark of interest and above-average talents in a boy who preferred sports over sitting still with a pencil and sketch paper.

Emerson grew up in Michigan and attended a private, Christian school where both of his parents taught. He was active in sports, particularly basketball, and eventually attended an Upstate New York Bible college where he worked in a basketball ministry with other college students.

Emerson says his mom was a constant source of encouragement and quietly challenged him to submit his work in community and school competitions, urging him to do his best.

"When I was young, my mom would have me enter coloring contests at the grocery store, and when I would win she would use that to encourage me. As I got older, she gently pushed me to enter school competitions on the state and national level," says Emerson.

Out of hundreds of students statewide, Emerson won top honors for his work and even won second place in a national competition.

"My only official schooling was a basic shading class in seventh grade," Emerson says of his art training. He says he took this small granule of training and studied and worked independently to grow it into the artwork he produces today. He's excited about expanding his work even more and trying new techniques and styles in the future.

Emerson has two studios in the Greenville area -- one in downtown Greenville's Art Crossing and another at Solteria in the refurbished Poe Mill building. In 2006, Emerson entered the selection process to be chosen for the limited Art Crossing studio spaces in the RiverPlace building. He was selected and says he greatly appreciates the prime real estate. "Having a studio downtown in such a great area has really helped my art career," he says.

He also enjoys his more private space at Poe Mill that allows him time to close his doors and work diligently on the portraits he produces, both photo realistic and abstract. He works in all types of media, from pencil to acrylics and oils.

"Generally, I draw and paint from photos, but I also paint from live sittings. I try to capture the individuality and uniqueness of my subjects. I communicate the essence of who someone is," says Emerson. He says that most of his work is commission-based. He does portraits of people as well as beloved pets.

Emerson has been chosen as one of the featured artists for this year's Red Dress Gala and Wine Tasting benefit for the American Heart Association on May 5.

He is designing the cover for the brochures and one of his works will be auctioned at the event, to be held at the Greenville Country Club.

Emerson came to Greenville through a rather calamitous set of events. Looking back on the past however, he's glad things worked out the way they did.

"I lived in West Palm Beach, Fla., showing my artwork at the marinas. One day while walking on the beach, I turned my ankle and really injured it, tearing all the ligaments. I didn't have insurance, but through some friends in Greenville, I found a doctor who did the surgery for me," he says.

One thing led to another and Emerson decided to make Greenville his permanent home. He's been here for two years.