"Untitled"

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Elderly women participating in synchronized swimming, flies behaving badly, a poster promoting a fictional circus, and a cluttered garage are all sources of inspiration in the paintings of 2007 University of Central Missouri 2007 graduate Emma Ginsberg.

"Pineapple"

Ginsberg always had a knack for art as she was known as the artsy kid while growing up in Hannibal, Mo.

"My first memory of growing up as the artsy kid was this one kid who said 'That's bad; no, bad as in good,' when referring to my art. I was always the good kid in art and was always drawing on the walls. My mom is really crafty and art was always around."

As a junior at Hannibal High School, Ginsberg made the decision to take her craft seriously and to further her education at UCM.

"I can really do this, so I'm going to try to do it," Ginsberg thought to herself as a youthful artist.

Ginsberg said the credibility of the UCM art department is what made the university the obvious choice to further her art education. One of Ginsberg's most influential professors of art, John Louder, said that UCM is the only Missouri public school accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.

"We have an excellent deptartment for the cost," Louder said. "It's a good choice for people without a large bank account that want to have a good education."

Louder explained the basics of what UCM art students will learn while in the program.

"At different levels, we get them to learn what they learned in design: organization of space and composition," Louder said. "As they progress, we also try to find out what is important to us as humans and individuals. We give them more and more rope as to how to solve the title of the painting. They have to make personal decisions on what the concepts mean to them."

The proof is in the paintings, so look no further as far as the skills what can be learned in the UCM art program than that of Ginsberg's. Her style, she said, reflects what the art program teaches, but she clearly adds her own touch which she describes as a "sort of thought-provoking, abstract world."

"A lot of my work is content-driven, where you get a concept and you have to portray it in some way," Ginsberg said. "I like a lot of layers and depth, and there are things I want to do that I haven't done. I want to keep exploring and keep true to myself. I want to evoke something from people, and have them kind of step into the painting and be taken away."

"Pool"

To maintain that "abstract world" look, Ginsberg uses a variety of paints and styles. Most of her work is acrylic because of various factors.

"You can get a very rich, solid color and it's cheap," Ginsberg said. "I water mine down, so a lot of my work gets that drippy, transparent look. You get a really cool effect from layers and layers of it."

Ginsberg also uses mixed media, which is the use of more than one utensil, such as pencils, ink, and paint. An example of mixed media is her highly original "Flies."

"Flies"

Not all of Ginsberg's painting sessions are alike. She said she always listens to music, whether it's Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, or one of her other favorites, and she usually sits for two or three hours, but then she says "you just have to get away from it for a while." Sometimes, however, she can sit down and hammer out a new piece to add to the collection, but in other instances, it may take months upon months of laborious work.

"I paint over lots of stuff," Ginsberg said. "Much of it is recycled, and some took forever. It's really a puzzle in your brain."

Louder recalls how Emma's personality reflects her artwork.

"Emma is a free spirit; she is fun, enjoys life, enjoys being creative and different, works hard, is independent and a creative thinker, is independently creative, and stands out as a character," Louder said. "If you've ever talked with her, you know she is full of life.

"We all do self-portraits, in a sense, which says something about us. Emma's (art) evokes her enjoyment of life and funny sense of humor. The fact that she is willing to be different is what made her artwork stand out. Everyone knew which work was hers (without seeing her name). She had her own style and she was able to tap into her own personality, which made it singular."

Ginsberg said that to her, art is "all about what's around you, and the art around you," which is one of the lessons taught by Louder.

"You take the design elements, what school gives you, and what the real world has to offer, which then culminates and takes it to new levels."

Ginsberg art is currently up for show and for sale at Tellers on 9th and Broadway in Columbia, Mo.