Little
Magazine
Interview with Emily E. Yen
Whats your name
Emily E. Yen
How long have you been doing art for:
Since the moment someone gave me a marker, crayon, pencil etc. Some of my earliest works include the random line of purple crayon down the staircase, the tracing of three hooks on the wall in blue pen, and the wonderful mixed media piece that is the underside of the family room coffee table.
How old are you
18
Where you from
Wescosville, PA
What kind of art do you do
Painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, embroidery, weaving, if I find something I think is interesting I’m gonna try to figure out how to do it one way or another.
Which one do you do the most
I’d have to say that I’m primarily a painter, and usually acrylic paint.
Why do you do that type of art the most
Because I’m good at it I guess. I mean I just find that it relaxes me and when I can’t seem to put a feeling into words its the easiest me to turn it into art. Acrylics let me paint over my “mistakes” so I don’t feel as anxious about making them; and a paintbrush just speaks to me. It’s more expressive and sensitive. I’ve actually never really thought about it.
Have you been in any gallery’s recently
I had two pieces at the Banana Factory in their Scholastic Gold Key gallery in the spring, a print of one of my pieces in the ArtsQuest center in Bethlehem (can't remember if it was the winter or spring), my high school’s art show (which I also designed the theme for), my living room, and just had a chair I had painted in the Emmaus Arts Council’s CHAIRity Art Auction.
 Emily Yen 3 |  Emily Yen 2 |  Emily Yen 1 |
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Any big projects happening
Nothing huge, I mean going to college is kind taking up a lot of my mental capacity. I’m attempting to put together a series of paintings based off of different words (like the Blind piece). And I’m also trying to work on my drawing and illustration skills so I’ve decided as a project to illustrate a set of tarot cards. It’s a cool prompt idea and doing the research on each card and witchcraft as a whole is actually really interesting.
Any big plans
Have dominion over the free world. Or just survive my first year of college. Or maybe just try to not go completely insane. I don't really know to be honest.
Any words to the people
Tea tree oil is really great for breakouts, and stick to your gut and go with the flow. That’s how you get through each day. Also stay hydrated and eat healthy. And take the time to evaluate your mental health because that’s more important than meeting society’s expectations believe it or not.
Anything you wish you coulda talked about
I could talk about a lot of things but it’s probably better for us all if I don’t.
Have any shameless plugs you want to give
Based off of the fact that I had to ask what ‘plugs’ meant, I don’t really think that i’m qualified to do that. And what would a shameful plug be then?
Or please buy my art, that would work too.