About
9th Street is the online art studios of me, Emily Nye. At any given time it will be a Quilt Shoppe, an Art Gallery, a Graphic Design Studio, and whatever other studio I can think of.
Why 9th Street you ask? Well, I love an oxymoron- they're my favorite kind of moron. An online studio named for a physical location seemed fitting. Nine being my favorite number it was only natural to arrive at 9th Street Studios. I hope you enjoy browsing the corners of the website; there is much hidden and much to see!
HISTORY:
At Cragmont Elementary in Berkeley, California, I was lucky to have the truly brilliant artist Joseph McClain,"Joe", as a teacher and mentor from first grade on. He ran basically a college level art class for 6-11 year olds, introducing us to not only the greats like Picasso, Pollock, and Dali, but also design fundamentals, color theory, and various mixed media techniques. I made sure I was in Joe's class as much as I possibly could. I attended the after school program every day and made visits even after I got older and left elementary school. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I peaked when I won Studio Artist of the Year two years in a row (4th and 5th grade).
Any student of his will agree- we would not be who we are without Joe. Whether actively doing something in the arts or not, being in Joe's class has made our lives intrinsically artistic. He was everything a mentor could be and more; unimaginably talented in his own right and fiercely encouraging to his students. I think about him and all he taught us everyday.
Joe and I with one of my oil pastel paintings, 2005
Joe in his classroom.
One of Joe's incredible mixed media pieces.
I've been drawing since I could hold a pencil. I was taught to sew by my brilliant Gran'ma Susie when I was twelve, and made my first quilt with her at sixteen. Pursuing a life in art has taken too long I'll admit, but at this point I've exhausted all other possibilities.
Any artist will know the feeling of the great and never-ending influx of ideas and images constantly whizzing through our heads. It can be exciting, yes, but it can be crushing as well. If we're lucky, we have the energy, time, and the sometimes deluded self-confidence to make at least some of these ideas real.
9th Street Studios is where I can get out these things that have been buzzing around my head for years. At times it'll be messy. It'll be experimental. Maybe sometimes it'll be empty. Perhaps other times it will have things that don't relate to each other at all and people will think "what the hell even is this website?"
And to that I say- it's mine. It's 9th Street.
About
9th Street Studios is the eclectic and wide-scoping artistic studios of Emily Nye.