Interview by Katie Aiken Ritter
“Just stand and look at the work on the wall, and calm down and check in with yourself about how it makes you think, how you feel about what it’s doing.”
Cool. Composed. Elegant. Minimal. Visually appealing. Balanced. Intriguing. Lightly humorous. Sophisticated. Reserved, in the sense that perhaps you should not necessarily expect your curiosity to be satisfied.
These qualities apply equally to both Emma’s artwork and her personality. There’s a sense of intimidation during the interview, sensing Emma’s trajectory toward significant artistic recognition while maintaining remarkable composure about her nascent career.
Emma deliberately withholds explicit meanings from her work. She questions why her interpretation should overlay viewers’ own relationships with paintings. By maintaining interpretive openness rather than dictating meaning, Emma provides greater generosity to audiences—allowing each person to apply personal interpretations whether pieces feature vivid colors or stark black-and-white compositions.
Emma did not emerge as an art-focused student early on. She describes herself: “I wasn’t one of those people who was passionate about school or about learning…not one of those who knew what they wanted to do in college and beyond.”
Art classes at Garrison Forest School sparked her interest, with mentor-teacher BJ McElderry recognizing and encouraging her talent. Emma subsequently attended College of Charleston before continuing at MICA. Exhibitions emerged quickly within three years.
“I decided early on to take any criticism or challenge in a way that would build me up rather than knock me down.”
Emma credits her parents—a therapist mother and architect father—for cultivating this maturity. Their combined influence shapes her work’s conceptual and technical dimensions.
Emma creates paintings that appear simple online yet reveal complexity in person. Layers, matte surfaces interacting with acrylic sheens, and shifting colors as viewers move around pieces characterize her work.
A recurring U-shaped element connects top and bottom forms, with the curved connector expressing energy between distinct states. These forms represent caring relationships—feelings of being hurt or supported during challenges—and safety, where electric colors emphasized by neutral darks suggest safe space for growth and transformation.
“Just stand and look at the work on the wall, and calm down and check in with yourself about how it makes you think, how you feel about what it’s doing. And also, know this: it’s okay to just like how it looks.”
Emma Childs’ exhibit was displayed at Manor Mill from February 4 to February 26.
Emma Childs is a contemporary abstract painter recognized for sophisticated minimalist work that explores human relationships through color, form, and composition. She studied at Garrison Forest School, College of Charleston, and MICA.
Her career gained significant recognition within three years of graduation. She approaches criticism constructively and credits her therapist mother and architect father for influencing her conceptual and technical approaches.
She deliberately withholds literal interpretations of her work, preferring viewers develop their own relationships with pieces. Her paintings often feature U-shaped forms connecting contrasting energies, layering matte and acrylic surfaces to create visual complexity that shifts depending on viewing angle.
