Art as Choreography
I grew up as a ballet dancer, twirling and dancing since age 2. I have always had a visual art practice alongside my movement practice, seeing them both as equal, complimenting the other. I go through phases of creating only dance or only artworks, but mostly I integrate the two. For my large paintings, I begin with movement improvisation in my studio and then translate those 3D movements into 2D lines and colors. I see each of these works as self portraits and a challenge to give myself permission on the canvas.
Paintings
Having come from a family of painters, I have always been one myself. My paintings connect me to my teachers and family members who expressed themselves through in these ways. I have recently been playing with adding watercolor to my cyanotypes (right, below) and I am eager to create more like this.
Cyanotypes
Cyanotype comes from the Greek word kyanos, meaning “dark-blue impression.” This unique form is one of the oldest photographic processes. It was developed in the 1800’s to create multiple using light. I grew up on a 13-acre farm where I spent hours playing in the stream, climbing trees, and spending time with butterflies. This process brings me back to that freedom and play. This process allows me to reconnect with my breath and nervous system to experience joy in the moment.
“For Emie Hughes, art is a dance. She is steeped in the aesthetics of movement as a modern dancer and choreographer, and she is immersed in visual media as a painter and printmaker.” - Delaware Today, June 2022
Blue Jar
Blue Jar is a woman-owned business created by me, Emie Hughes. Trained as a modern dancer & choreographer, I see my work as choreography regardless of medium, and I incorporate movement into all of my pieces. I am a mixed-media artist working in the mediums of cyanotype, acrylic, and watercolor in sizes from 6X6 to 48X60. At the center of my artwork is my love for blue, nature, and magic of the process.
Why Blue Jar? If you have met me, you know that I always have a jar nearby, holding my coffee, paint water, veggies, wine, all the things. I love them because they are just that - a container. They have always been a constant in my life and art-making. When launching my business, I wanted the name to combine two things that I love most, in art and everyday life. I put blue + mason jars together, and voila! Blue Jar was born.