Emily Sodders
Bird House Studio

"It took me over three decades to fully understand why I make the art I make. As an adoptee raised in the Houston area, my family frequently moved from one flat, uninspiring suburban hell to another in search of more gainful employment. While the change of residence was thrilling, I struggled to build and maintain strong, long-lasting friendships or a stable connection to the communities in which I resided. Though I discovered my artistic gift early in childhood, I was more apt to use it as a tool of social adaptation than one of self-expression, favoring my role as ‘creative conduit’ for someone else’s vision, rather than my own. In this way, I felt the satisfaction of serving others and thereby acquired the acceptance of my peers, despite my idiosyncrasies and insecurities. This carried forward into my career as a freelance artist with the majority of my artwork commissioned; my portfolio remarkably diverse in subject, medium, style and dimension, as each artwork is custom-made for the client. 

  It wasn’t until I visited and explored more rural and rugged regions of the country, where natural beauty and inspiration abound, that I felt a sense of belonging.  Ultimately, I chose to transplant my Texan roots in New Hampshire, where I met and married my husband, Vinny. Together, we share the joy of raising our young daughter, Evelyn, while scratching out the foundations of a homestead along the Ashuelot River  in the bucolic village of Gilsum. 

     While I still enjoy creating artwork for my clients, my artistic priorities have shifted in recent times since being diagnosed with a cocktail of auto-immune conditions. The decline in my health has placed considerable limitations on my physical abilities and I often feel trapped by the failings of my body. As a result, I have ventured into several veins of original artwork that capture in scenes of the .American backcountry what I cannot tame in myself: a spirit of freedom. It’s in the Rockies and in the Appalachians. It’s sweeping over a plain, soaring over a canyon and cascading over a waterfall. It’s in the wilds and in the wildlife. It’s where I belong. And I can go there at the end of a paintbrush and share my experience with you."

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Emily can be reached at emily@emilysodders.com.