About the Artist

Emily Allender’s eye catching work with wood highlights the often overlooked and deceptively complex beauty of this natural resource. By using wood stain instead of traditional paint mediums, she is able to use the wood as a canvas while allowing its natural beauty to shine through. The development of this unique process is her true passion project.

Allender’s current work is inspired by the process itself. Painting with wood stain is a constant battle of wills. The stain has only one goal -- to cover every bit of the surface that it can. It is endlessly stubborn in its quest to spread as far as possible, and so the artist must be equally stubborn in her control of its path. Looking at the desert landscape around her, Allender recognizes this same struggle between the harsh environment and the plants that call it home. Even as their surroundings work against them, desert plants continue to thrive. With her work, Allender strives to pay homage to this dogged determination, and to create something just as beautiful out of her own battle of wills.

The artist currently works and resides in Phoenix, Arizona.

Past Exhibitions:

Terrestrial Wood, 2015, Shemer Art Center, Phoenix AZ

Phoenix Festival of the Arts, 2015, Phoenix AZ

Reflections of Arizona, 2016, Shemer Art Center, Phoenix AZ