Emily Parsons

Emily Parsons is an artist based in Brooklyn, New York. She began her career working as an art director for magazines and media companies, including The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Condé Nast. This background gave her a deep appreciation for visual aesthetics and storytelling. While her work doesn’t typically include narrative, she strives to capture a sense of emotionality in each piece—through glowing light in landscapes, thoughtful expressions in portraits, and impressionist brushstrokes threading through all of her pieces. Through these practices, she aims to highlight the charm in ordinary moments.


emjaneparsons.com.

Can you describe the core themes and emotions you explore in your current body of work?

Currently? Beauty, place, time, modernity.


How does your creative process unfold from concept to completion?

It’s either very planned or very intuitive. It typically starts with an idea that I just keep turning over and over in my head (sometimes over hours, sometimes over months) as I figure out if the subject matter is authentic or meaningful. Once I have an idea figured out, the process is more straightforward.

For example, for my ongoing city series, I have photos that I’ve selected from my camera roll to use as references, and my goal is to produce at least two per week. For these: I select a scene, paint the underlayer, then typically do one long sitting to complete the main work and final touches of the painting.

But for some of my short stories, I’ve had bursts of inspiration late at night where I type it all up within an hour or two, then edit it the next day—so those can sometimes be less planned than my painting work.


What inspires you most outside of the visual arts, and how does it influence your work?

So many things! I’m a big sucker for sunsets. Any kind: pink, gold, blue, overcast. I frequently walk the long way home just to look around and be a person in the world.

Also, music. I’m quite envious of musicians because I feel they create art that is so instantly influential on your mind. Certain sounds or lyrics can hit you with nostalgia you weren’t prepared for—you’re suddenly transported to a specific moment in your life, with all of those same feelings and memories. That’s so powerful.

Also, exceptional prose and fiction (see above: “so many things”).


How do you navigate the balance between personal expression and the commercial aspects of your career?

I’m honestly still charting these waters. I think, like many artists, I have several creative interests. I put a lot more “personal expression” into my writing, but I have more of a business mindset with my paintings.

For example, with my current series of cityscapes, I have found the Venn diagram of what I want to paint and what I think others would want to buy. The expression in my paintings comes through in messy brushstrokes—those feel authentic, as my personality is not too precise or structured, and I enjoy presenting myself as both warm and irreverent.


What message or feeling do you hope viewers take away from experiencing your art?

That if you look, you’ll see art everywhere. From the texture in grass, the melancholy in a gray sky, the beauty in a pink sunset, the heat in your own skin—there’s charm in everyday life, even in the shadows.