Salted Heron - Emily Moffitt
Emily Moffitt has been a fundamental behind-the-scenes player for the Columbia arts community for years. A graduate of the University of South Carolina holding a BA in both Studio Art and English, Moffitt is both the marketing assistant and gallery curator for the Koger Center as well as the Secretary of the Jasper Project and the visual arts editor for Jasper Magazine.
Beyond supporting the arts, Moffitt is herself a multimedia artist—an illustrator who works in primarily ink, gouache, and watercolor and whose work and art alike is “dedicated to developing the cultural landscape of Columbia.”
Creating art as a mode of self-expression has been part of Moffitt’s roots from childhood, whether sharing melodies on her flute or crafting identities through cosplay. She grew up sketching characters and scenes from her favorite cartoons and video games—but in late high school and college, Moffitt began to realize how vital visual art was for her identity.
Coral Cluster - Emily Moffitt
Specifically, visual art became a way for Moffitt to connect to her Puerto Rican heritage and, with this realization, she unlocked a path where she could create with intention and within overarching themes. These sinews keep her grounded as she explores the endless possibilities art allows, “combining [her] love for illustration and for abstract art in different ways, allowing [herself] to grow outside of the box and to experiment with different styles.”
Though her first solo show, in a way, this Tiny Gallery serves as a way of coming home for the young artist. “This collection of work is a combination of getting back into the groove of creating, learning what works best for me, and work that I know I love to do,” Moffitt shares.
For this show, Moffitt has created a cast of characters in an almost visual linked-story collection. Here, fine line harpies gaze into the distance, mysterious jesters dance for an unseen audience, and fish sit in brightly colored tins and swim throughout thoughts alike.
“For this show I found myself drawn to comfortable colors like blue, and I wanted to use as many of my materials I already owned as I could,” Moffitt says. “I typically am the type of person who loves to control things, so using wet media like watercolor pushes me out of that boundary and makes me relax and let the medium work itself, rather than me overworking it.”
Fish for Thought - Emily Moffitt
Moffitt’s Tiny Gallery show will be up until September 30th and can be viewed 24/7 via Jasper’s virtual gallery page. Patrons can also follow her work on her Instagram @thewildflowermural.