Typically, when people are asked to envision landscape artists, they think of painters who set up easels on hillsides and paint rich, gorgeous oil artworks of pastoral scenes.
Well, Emily Wood is an artist who creates spare line drawings of landscapes, and they’re full of trash, power lines, and ramshackle Hamtramck houses. And they’re actually a pleasure to look at.
Wood wouldn’t be the first artist to get drawn in by utility poles and wires. It’s a fascination she shares with artists as famous as R. Crumb. And, for Wood, it is a fascination. The works present views of the city that aren’t exploitative, that present the imperfections of the city in a way that appreciates the stories they tell.
"People around here do it all themselves," she told Steve Hughes when he interviewed her for Metro Times. "You can really see the human touch. So like, here's a house with four different kinds of siding. Those imperfections make it real. It's just like story layered on story layered on story. It's really invigorating."
Now Hughes has published a new video that takes a look at her work, and the charismatic Wood is an excellent subject for the medium. See if you can see the city through her eyes for a few minutes — and see if you don’t fall in love a little with it.
Stupor Presents: Pure Trash with Emily Wood from Steve Hughes on Vimeo.
You can see more work by Wood at the release of the upcoming issue of Steve Hughes' zine Stupor, an issue Wood designed. The release party is scheduled for Sept. 23 at Ant Hall, 2320 Caniff St., Hamtramck; 313-365-4255.
