illume
Emilie Hoke ’21
On view: March 18-23, 2021
My practice begins when I open my studio windows because without light there is no foundation. The shadows and reflections from these windows form the basis of my paintings and process-based works. The light informs my depictions of geometric shapes across canvases, as well as natural phenomena from my surrounding environment.
My earliest memories, embedded in the rich landscape of North Carolina, include searching for seashells on the water’s edge or exploring the undulating forests of the piedmont. These experiences have given me a keen sense of awe and appreciation for natural ephemera. The dancing light across a forest of trees. The flow of water over rocks. The sun rays coming through my studio windows. With these observations as a guide, I enter my studio, filled with natural objects from my field-based research, and I am drawn to how light casts shadows on these findings. I see an entire mountain terrain on a minuscule rock formation. The pooling of paint becomes akin to the rush of water down a river. The crystallization of salt suggests briny objects at the water’s edge. The layers speak to the strata below the Earth’s surface. For me, these moments become micro-scale masterpieces of abstractions, and the light brings them to life.
I see the extraordinary in a simple shadow or sun ray, and it is these sun rays that illuminate my practice, opening my eyes to a world of micro-scale environments, both inside and outside my studio windows. I invite you to wander and wonder.
Emilie Hoke is pursuing a BA in Art and Environmental Studies at Davidson College. Her work is inspired by her interactions with the natural world and has been exhibited at the North Carolina Museum of Art (2019) and the National Humanities Center (2019).