064 http://www.AmericanArtCollector.com
I
ce skates, boxing gloves, telephones and slot machines are just a few of
the items that have become muses for Canadian artist Emily Copeland.
The objects, often vintage in nature, aren’t pigeonholed into one genre,
as the artist wants her work to appeal to people with diff erent interests and
memories. “Antiques always have stories and often times I do not have a
personal connection to the items I draw,” Copeland says. “I love that the
objects I draw have an unknown past, and that people can attach their own
personal stories or memories to certain objects, or create new ones.”Copeland, who lives in British Columbia,
went to both an arts public school and
high school before beginning studies in
business and law at university. As she got
into her coursework, Copeland switched
her focus to art because she felt it was her
calling. During her fourth year, about three-
and-a-half years ago, she was assigned a
portrait project using charcoal—her fi rst
foray into the medium. She was instantly
captivated by its properties, in particular
the ability to make a rich black.
Creating still lifes that are in black-and-
white has elevated Copeland’s vintage
objects to a contemporary aesthetic. Still,
the work is rooted in tradition through aEmily Copeland’s larger-than-life
still life drawings are the focus of a new
exhibition at Bernarducci Gallery.
BY ROCHELLE BELSITOEmily Copeland with
Antique Telephone.