Artist Profile: Emily Vickers

Artistically Diverse

By Justin Jones

Sometimes, art speaks in surprising ways. Early in her career, Roswell painter Emily Vickers reluctantly brought a painting of a tree to a festival where she was selling her work. She hated the painting so much that she wanted to tear it to pieces. It depicted a tree underscored by a quotation from Robert Frost. However, at the behest of her partner, she brought the painting anyway and it was the first item she sold that day.

Though Vickers graduated from the University of West Georgia with a degree in chemistry, art has been a significant part of her life since she was very young. From age nine to twenty-five, she took private lessons from Dona McEachern, and she took many art classes in school. Vickers also completed a study abroad in Bayeaux, France, an experience that has continued to affect her art ever since. Some might think the pairing of painting and chemistry is odd, but Vickers says that the arts and sciences used to be rightly grouped together. Some artists may feel more artistic by disassociating from science and math, but that isnt Emily Vickers.

Vickers style is consistent in its inconsistency. In fact, she has been asked how many artists she is showcasing at her booth when it only contains her work. Despite this diversity, her Impressionistic background is embedded in every piece she creates, though she admits she is more illustrative than traditional Impressionists. Vickers works mainly in oil and acrylics but branches out to other mediums upon occasion. Her greatest influence, though, is her tutor, Ms. Dona, and the French Impressionists have a special place in her heart and eye.

Vickers started showing her art in 2012, and her first gallery showing was in 2017. Even though she continues to work in quality control for an immunoassay group, she offers encouragement to artists who want to make a living through their art. Hard work is the key, Vickers says, but it is possible. She advises new artists to try styles and materials outside of their usual repertoire. Not every work will be a success, but she suggests you may be surprised by what you create if you take a risk. Vickers also encourages artists to share their successes and difficulties with others in the industry. Sometimes, she reports, artists become too protective over their achievements. She even once had a fellow artist refuse to share the name of the company that produces her prints because that printmaker belonged to them. Vickers believes that everyone in the artistic community would benefit from encouraging each other to go further with their dreams.

Icarus is Vickers favorite painting so far. She is particularly proud of it because it is the first painting she created in which her artistic execution caught up with her artistic vision. It was the first time what she saw in her mind actually ended up on the canvas. To see Icarus and other works by Vickers, visit CreatedByEmily.com, or email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..