Emily Wilson Gillespie is one of nine winners of the 2024 Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities. This award is designed to support accessibility in the arts and celebrate the exceptional work of disabled Midwestern visual artists.
“My paintings are a composite of memory, observation, and imagination, pulling inspiration from photographs, childhood recollections, and recent studies. The interaction between memory and present reality creates a space for both discord and harmony in my work.
Daydreaming and escapism are both equally rooted in my neurodivergence and my artistic practice. Abstraction allows me to utilize the inspiration from my source imagery and play up emotions through color and shape. While the resulting landscape is often inspired by the rural Midwest, it may not necessarily share a resemblance. I love this – that my landscapes are open to the viewer’s own interpretation.
It is my goal to continue to create work that allows the viewer to escape within it. The larger work I have created in the past year feels almost immersive, and I would like to continue making work on a larger scale. Additionally, I hope to continue to find and practice a holistic balance to care for myself so that I can manage the physical demands of painting and allow my body to recover accordingly.“