Meet Emily Rudnick | Painter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Rudnick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, why did you pursue a creative career?
When I entered college, I had no clue what my future would look like or what subjects mattered most to me. Not much seemed to make sense to me at the time, but as soon as I took a color theory class, a major shift occurred. Everything resonated with me clearly through the lens of color theory and art, and I noticed myself getting excited about learning new things in that realm. I chose to pursue a career as an artist because since that class, nothing has helped me make sense of the world in the brilliant way art has. Artmaking is the way I think, process and feel. I use art to better understand how people communicate and through that, find ingenuity. I understand I am extremely lucky to be able to pursue work in such a risky and volatile field, but any other career choice felt like I would be faking my own identity.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My work is a meditation on both image and language, considering the banalities and subtleties of everyday life while activating conversations between color and form. The active, drawing-based nature of oil painting allows my work to develop intuitively, leading to a visual depiction of the parameters of my internal dialogue.

I am proud of how far my work and I have both come, however my art, painting style and professional life are still very much works in progress. My work, based on outside observation and internal process, is consistently changing and growing (just like me). My open-mindedness surrounding what painting can be has certainly helped me get to where I am today, as well as my similar mentality regarding the art world and learning lessons in my professional career that weren’t necessarily taught in school. While extremely grateful for my education, I am still learning in my career as a painter and stay open to new lessons all the time.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Bavel, Terroni, Republique, Pizzeria L’antica and Pasjoli are among some of my favorite restaurants to take out of town pals. Also, it wouldn’t be a visit to LA without a taco truck stop and a KBBQ dinner!

For activities, beaching is obviously paramount- I like to bring friends up PCH for the first time ever and see their reactions. We’ll usually end up at Zuma or Point Dume and just spend the whole day in and out of the ocean.

Stand up is also one of my favorite things to see in LA- I love the group shows at the Improv on Melrose. Vintage shopping at any of the flea markets and on Melrose is always so fun, and with the right person, I’d take them to the galleries around Highland or in Culver City to see what’s happening in art right now.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my dear friends Jen and Sarah, who constantly remind me that I am making the right choice in my career by sticking with what I love.

Website: www.emilyrudnick.com

Instagram: @nickrudem