Emily Hall

Work Life: Growing up on a farm in the small town of Grangeville, Idaho, Emily learned the value of hard work at an early age. She began her framing career at Chrisman Framing in Portland, OR in 2000, where she then went on to manage the Raleigh Hills location for 2 years. It was only after taking a year off to become a certified bench jeweler, did she realize how much she missed framing and began working for Attic Gallery as their sole custom framer. After moving to Missoula in 2009, she easily fell into a role at Art Attic Framing & Design. When it came time to purchase the business in 2018, Emily gladly accepted the opportunity to keep the tradition of Art Attic Framing & Design going. With a keen eye towards color and composition, she works to create framing designs that stylishly complement each unique piece. She is truly blessed being able to combine her love of art, passion for presentation, preservation, and meaningful conversation all in a day’s work.

Art Life: I am a self-taught artist mainly working with acrylics, paper, and wax. My artwork is largely autobiographical and illustrative in nature, with dark humor being an underpinning theme in most scenes.

The discovery process of my life and primary language is through art. The history of this evolution is in a myriad of notebooks continually created since I was very young. The threads are clear: a love of texture and nature, a delight in cartoon, and a place for emotional release.

The materials I use are rich with association. They’re discoveries along the way or gifts from friends, sometimes presented as a challenge. Their experiential nature amplifies the emotional component of my work, resulting in compositions that are personal and yet universal. As a professional picture framer I understand the role frames have as essential extensions of art. They contribute to my passion for 3-dimensional elements in 2-dimensional media. They enclose, bring closure, and help convey the nature of how she makes sense of things.

I sees the tension of opposites in life as beauty and an ongoing challenge to capture. Embrace the unconventional. It's an invitation to the viewer that is not forced, but rather to associate, to remember, to name. Still I suggests guidelines. Don't back from the tragic or emotional. See the dark as part of life's fabric which she explores with lightness, humor and irony. Enjoy a little acting out. Question realism. Love symbolic implication in black and white compositions. Toss rigidity, get vulnerable, be provoked, read the titles.