Artist Emilia Arana

I come to drawing and painting from a background of careful looking and listening. A master’s degree in art history trained me in the close and meticulous study of surfaces. As a pianist, I have to find the spirit of music at some level of my art as I study and evaluate it. This partnership of art and music has led me to abstract painting, following years of representational work.

After several careers, I find the best expression of my self in the mysterious unfolding of an abstract painting. That process is an ever-changing place where I can explore music, though in a dimension so different from the classical Schubertian world. The surface becomes a place where metaphor, space, color, and feeling can evolve, not only for the artist, but for the viewer who completes the journey of the painting.

Professional Experience

2008 Instructor, Abstract Painting, The Drawing Studio, Tucson, AZ
2008 Juror, The Practice of Abstract Painting, The Drawing Studio, Tucson, AZ
1997-2000 Adjunct Instructor, Art history, The University of Arizona and Pima College. Taught undergraduate courses in medieval art, survey of Mexican art, and modern art. Lecturer in art and art history at The Drawing Studio, various Tucson elementary schools, and Las Artes. Topics include exhibition and curating, gesture drawing, critiques, and design.

Awards

1995 Rockefeller Foundation Travel Grant
1992 The University of Arizona Columbus Quincentenary Small Grants for study of Columbus sculptures in Mexico City
1992 University of Arizona Latin American Area Center field research grant for archives in Mexico City

Collections

Consbruck and Sanders, Architects
Administrative Offices, The University of Arizona College of Architecture
Center for Neurosciences, Tucson
Lewis and Roca, LLC
Private collections Southern Arizona, West Coast, East Coast, Canada, France

Publications

The Tucson Weekly, “Little Art”, by Margaret Regan, June 28, 2007
"Tucson and Tubac" by David A. Fryxell, The Artist's Magazine, July/August 2007
The Arizona Wildcat, interview April 27, 2006



	Emilia Arana - Artist Statement I come to drawing and painting from a background of careful looking and listening. A master’s degree in art history trained me in the close and meticulous study of surfaces. As a pianist, I have to find the spirit of music at some level of my art as I study and evaluate it. This partnership of art and music has led me to abstract painting, following years of representational work. After several careers, I find the best expression of my self in the mysterious unfolding of an abstract painting. That process is an ever-changing place where I can explore music, though in a dimension so different from the classical Schubertian world. The surface becomes a place where metaphor, space, color, and feeling can evolve, not only for the artist, but for the viewer who completes the journey of the painting. Resume Education M.A. Art History, The University of Arizona, 1997 Emphasis in Colonial Mexican Art and 18th Century European Art Thesis - "The Implications of Miguel Cabrera's Caste Paintings" B.Sc. Accounting and MIS, The University of Arizona, 1978 Solo Exhibitions 2009 Momentum & Melody, Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, AZ 2008 "Lyrical Abstraction", Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson 2007 "The Colors of Home", Hilltop Gallery, Nogales 2006 “Abstract Paintings: The Underlying Music”, Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson 2006 2005 "Sources and Sounds", Artist of the Month Gallery, Tucson 2005 "Rhythmscape", Tucson Pima Public Library Group Exhibitions 2008 Salon Exhibition, Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, AZ 2007 Per Square Foot, Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, AZ 2007 Small Works Invitational, Davis Dominguez Gallery, Tucson 2007 Hilltop Gallery, Nogales 2007 Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, AZ 2006 Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild Annual Show 2005 Tucson Jewish Community Center 2005 410 Gallery, Tucson 2005, 2006 Contents Interiors, Tucson 2004 and 2005 Tubac Center for the Arts 2004 Eller School of Business at The University of Arizona Professional Experience 2008 Instructor, Abstract Painting, The Drawing Studio, Tucson, AZ 2008 Juror, The Practice of Abstract Painting, The Drawing Studio, Tucson, AZ 1997-2000 Adjunct Instructor, Art history, The University of Arizona and Pima College. Taught undergraduate courses in medieval art, survey of Mexican art, and modern art. Lecturer in art and art history at The Drawing Studio, various Tucson elementary schools, and Las Artes. Topics include exhibition and curating, gesture drawing, critiques, and design. Awards 1995 Rockefeller Foundation Travel Grant 1992 The University of Arizona Columbus Quincentenary Small Grants for study of Columbus sculptures in Mexico City 1992 University of Arizona Latin American Area Center field research grant for archives in Mexico City Collections Consbruck and Sanders, Architects Administrative Offices, The University of Arizona College of Architecture Center for Neurosciences, Tucson Lewis and Roca, LLC Private collections Southern Arizona, West Coast, East Coast, Canada, France Publications The Tucson Weekly, “Little Art”, by Margaret Regan, June 28, 2007 "Tucson and Tubac" by David A. Fryxell, The Artist's Magazine, July/August 2007 The Arizona Wildcat, interview April 27, 2006





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