Grambling State News

Grambling State University Associate Professor of Painting Emily Ezell has made a name for herself as one of the region’s rising artists, and her canvas recently worked its way into Shreveport, Louisiana, where some of her work is currently on display.

“The Process” exhibit at Artspace in Shreveport, Louisiana, showcases the creative journeys of each artist, revealing the initial sparks of inspiration and the developmental phases leading to their final artwork.

Artspace is located at 708 Texas St. in Shreveport.

Visitors to that exhibit receive the opportunity to explore sketchbooks, sticky notes, rough sketches, concept drawings, and storyboards, providing a comprehensive insight into the artistic process from Ezell as well as Yuina Todman, Ibrahim Fashho, and Academy Award-winning artist William Joyce. This unique exhibition offers a behind-the-scenes look at the steps and methods artists use to create their masterpieces.

Ezell describes herself as a “pop-swamp surrealist” and creates her artwork focused on the modern female form.

“I have to give full credit to the excellent writer, Vanelis Rivera, who first used “pop swamp surrealist” as a descriptor for my work back in 2021, Ezell said. “I loved the term because not only does it roll nicely off the tongue, but it is a nod to the historical movement based in dream-like images with my addition of colorful Southern Gothic flavors.

“The artworks are meant to be celebratory revels in a world I’ve built where liberation and pleasure are the noblest pursuits. It is a way for me to indulge and play in my perfect dream world.”

Now in her second year at GSU, Ezell’s teaching career began as a teaching assistant at the Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York in 2017.

Ezelle earned her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art with a concentration in Drawing from Louisiana Tech University in 2008. She added a Master’s of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the New York Academy of Art in New York City.

“I have always known I wanted to be a teacher, after having the great privilege of working with so many great art professors — such as local legends here in north Louisiana: Karen Sharp, Kathy Vellard, and Peter Jones,” Ezell said. “What I didn’t realize is how much I would learn every day from my students. I love the ideas they come up with because they’re always approaching studio problems from a very different perspective than I would.

“Most of my painting students come with an established vision of what they want to create, and it’s my great privilege to show them how to break down the steps to achieve that goal. The more ambitious they are, the better! And the more unique and specific to them, the more powerful the work is.”

Ezell’s professional work career began in 2006 as an assistant at the Picture Perfect Gallery and Frame Shop, in West Monroe, Louisiana, which is her hometown.

In 2007 she became a Commissioned Portrait Artist and has also worked as a private art instructor since 2008.

An innovative creator, in 2010 Ezell served as a 3-D Art teacher during the North Central Louisiana Arts Council’s Summer Arts Camp held in Arcadia, Louisiana, and later served as a teaching assistant at Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York.

Ezell served as Talented Art Program Director for Bienville Parish (Louisiana) Schools from 2019-2022 before becoming an Assistant Professor of Painting at Grambling State in 2002.

She is a member of the College Art Association (CAA), North Central Louisiana Art Council (NCLAC) and National Art Education Association (NAEA).

“I have always been someone who wanted to hone my skills and technique to the very best I could — that’s why I pursued an MFA at school that emphasized classical, academy-based instruction. Throughout my 20s I was working primarily from life — having friends sit for me to be painted or setting up still lifes to capture painterly realism like John Singer Sargent or Chardin or Wayne Thiebaud.

“After I felt the craft was at a certain masterly-level, I was ready to incorporate story and imagination into my work; this is what I’ve been focusing on for the past 12 years or so. I have so many ideas for future paintings, and I really only make work that I want to make — not for any other reason. I think good artworks are direct responses to what is going on in an artist’s inner world. And of course, what I’m thinking about is influenced by what is happening in daily life. Who knows where the work will go next? In the far future I would like to incorporate stop-motion animation to make the stories I want to tell come to life even more explicitly. We will see what happens!”