Spotlight on Emily Maynard '17

A reflection can be seen in the 35mm lens of the current subject as it goes in and out of focus until correct. A pensive hand rests on the camera waiting to take the perfect picture. Behind that 35mm camera, is the thoughtful and creative artist Emily Maynard ‘17. Maynard first picked up a film camera in seventh grade but it wasn’t until she had reached TA campus that the world of the visual arts opened up to her.

“Photography came easier to me,” explained Maynard. She has tried other forms of art but was still drawn to photography the most because of her natural ability. This isn’t completely unexpected because she grew up surrounded by vintage cameras that her mother collected.

“It is an image that you are taking from real life and making it your own.”

“It is an image that you are taking from real life and making it your own,” said Maynard. The fact that a photo was an exact representation of the subject really draws her to the art form.

"A random idea comes into my head and I create the photos,” explained Maynard.

Art in generally has become a big part of Maynard’s life. She said, “Art for me is a way to get ideas out of my head […] I am a stresser and it's a relief.”

“She is one of my most innovative artists willing to try things and willing to expand the ideas conceptually,” said photography teacher Ms. Thomas.

Maynard has also expanded into music. She knows how to play violin, clarinet, and drums. She also admitted to INK, “I sing… to myself.”
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“I have always been an outsider, so I have always looked outside the box,” said Maynard. She took the time and really delved into the backstories of some of her pieces.

​“This [...] photo was made at first for a front and back cover to a project. When my teachers were looking through my photos and come across those two and really thought that I should combine the them into one diptych*. So I did so and from there the idea for what the photo meant for me really developed. For me, it represents a portrait of a person that is being looked at as an art work, not just for a picture of the person. You take in the photo as a whole and look at it as art. You don't consider so much the finer details of the person, how big their nose is, what color their eyes are. Instead you take in the person and see them as part of the artwork, not so much as a person themselves. That is why I named it "Look at Me," because you consider the artwork more than the photo. “

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“[This] photo was taken in an abandon house in Buxton. My mom boards her horse at a farm in Buxton and there are trails all around the barn. The house was on one of the trails and I personally love abandoned, creepy buildings so I had to go in and take photos. So the fact I wanted to go into the house was planned but the photo itself was not because I had never been in it before. The house had been red on the outside, with broken windows and open doors. Straw had been thrown everywhere and the floors seemed a little unsteady. This was the last room I came to in the house and the most interesting. The walls looked like they were stripped down by something and it definitely gave an ominous feeling. The stove was the only thing that was really left behind in the house. “

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“This last photo came from last year when I took photography. We were given an assignment to take "inside, outside" photos. Where you are either inside and see out or outside and see in. I've always considered the photo to be inside looking out. It gives me a feeling of being trapped and the walls closing in. However, curiosity also comes into play. You are supposed to wonder what is on the outside. If it is a person or something else. If you are hiding from the thing on the outside and if you should be sacred. It is a curious photo that should stimulate the imagination and become something for the viewer to experience rather than just see.”

Her life experience has helped her develop her sense of self which can then be seen in her work. There is also a subconscious theme that makes viewers feel unsettled with some morbid undertones. This theme has developed in multiple of her photos. 

“[It is] a theme that I have recognized and took a liking to,” explained Maynard, “[...] No one says anything [when they look at my photos]. They respond with silence.”

She has received three honorable mentions recently for her pieces "Ravaged Walls," "Eat your trash," and "Creep" in the Scholastic Art Competition.

​Unlike other students, Maynard does not plan to pursue art as a focus in college but won’t drop it all together because of the personal connection she has with it.
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To put it simply, she said, “I just want to take pictures.”

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