Emily Filler

Emily Filler's paintings walk the line between the real and the imaginary. There is a sense of the familiar but also the feeling that you are falling into a dream - flowers act as a departure point to a world that dissolves into abstraction.

Like a collage, her work is pieced together from things she has seen, things that linger in her mind. Filler is a collector of images - patterns from fabrics, images from books, magazines, her environment, and photographs she takes incessantly. Yet the finished works do not appear as a collage - rather, she has gathered these fragments and made them into a complete image, something whole.

The artist's hand is clearly visible in the work, experimenting with a diverse assemblage of colours, patterns, textures, and mark making. Many areas are kept wild and gestural which compliment the more precious areas. Filler also relies heavily on the act of removal - rubbing out areas of a painting that she spent hours building up. This chance experimentation often reveals a hint of colour or pattern that allows her to continue - by going backwards she sees something that could never have been achieved simply moving forward.
 
In Filler's work one finds vibrant and spirited canvases juxtaposed with moody and layered pieces, and ghostly monochrome electrified by colourful accents. She does not wish to present the viewer with a realistic interpretation of the flower but rather convey the beauty and the impressions which they leave behind in our memories.

Emily Filler currently works out of Toronto, Canada. Her work has been exhibited across Canada and can be found in private and corporate collections throughout North America.