Born at the right time

 

Looking beyond paintings, Emily is hoping to bring her art to the coffee table, too. The artist is planning a children’s book about a girl who can control her dreams. As she has done with some of her paintings, Emily is using her own dream journals for inspiration with the book.

Her inspiration and angst are largely fed by the same source: her generation.

 

 

Noting characteristics such as the rampant consumerism and unbearable laziness that seem to be defining much of Generation Y, Emily Niland said, “it makes me wish I was born in another decade.”

 

And TV shows aren’t helping, said the sophomore at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. The so-called reality programs are spotlighting the worst of the culture, she said. But, on the plus side, having the TV hold a mirror up to a generation’s ugly side can serve as a warning, she added.

 

Also on the plus side, the frustration Emily feels gets channeled into her painting.

 

“It’s how I process it and get it out of my head,” Emily said.

 

Her painting North Face Army, for example, tackles a copycat culture caught up in consumerism. The “army” in her painting consists of young women, all of similar physique, dressed in dark North Face jackets, along with denim and boots.

 

Not surprisingly, her reactionary approach to painting — coupled with her desire to make a statement with her work — has spilled over into politics, too. She has recently submitted work to the political action committee MoveOn.org.

 

Emily draws comparisons in the current political climate to that of the 1960s. These include a controversial war, a charismatic presidential candidate and a national debate over civil rights, she said.

 

Regarding all of these social issues, “it’s coming to a boiling point,” Emily said. “There’s a sense of urgency to do something in this time — while I can.”

 

 

FIRST TIME

When Emily was 5 years old, she began creating fashion drawings. She was trying to emulate the work of her grandmother — who never pursued her own artistic calling, working instead as a secretary. But the talent Emily saw in her grandmother’s work helped inspire Emily to pursue her own life in art.

 

 

WORST TIME

A three-painting series by Emily literally went up in smoke. She did the paintings for a boyfriend, who did not take the end of the relationship very well. When Emily broke it off, the boyfriend burned the paintings she had made for him.