photography

Perhaps because I’ve seen so many serious photographs of hounds in kennels, I was arrested and amused by this whimsical print by Emily Robards, daughter of a well-known huntsman and author. Emily’s dad has hunted hounds in Ireland and in North America, and Emily has whipped-in to him and spent most of her younger years in or near the kennels. I asked her to tell us about her art.

"Your Human Faces Are Showing" by Emily Robards

I am a visual artist who works in a variety of media such as photography, printmaking, collage, embroidery and paint. My work draws from dreams and memories, linking the spiritual, human, and animal worlds together with an underlining narrative of innocence and the uncanny. The work arises from the self, drawing from my past, while trying to take control of the present. I also work a lot with vintage photographs and text combining them to create new narratives.

The piece, “Your Human faces are Showing,” is a seven-colour limited edition screen print, approximately 11.4 x 8 cm. The print is slightly off register so they are not all exactly the same, which is called a print variable.

The print is based on an old photo my grandmother took of the County Limerick Foxhounds. The piece started out as a doodle in my sketchbook a few years ago, and stayed that way until my last year of college when I made it into a print. The drawing is relaxed, almost comical. I wasn't worried about it being exact or anatomically correct. This relaxed idea towards the drawing I feel is what makes it a success.