We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Bertucci and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, why did you pursue a creative career?
I’ve been painting ever since I was born and I haven’t stopped since. Creating has a been the only constant in my life. I never saw myself doing anything else but pursuing a life of art. Fortunately, I’ve found ways to turn my passion into a career.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I started out painting abstractly in my adolesence. Inspiration led me down a path of intuitive creation of experimenting with acrylic paint. I love making quick decisions and responding instinctually. When I ran out of storage I started selling my acrylic paintings locally on OfferUp and Craigslist in middle school and high school.

When I was 17 my family and I relocated from South Florida to Southern California. I was contemplating college at the time and it turned out we moved within 10 miles from Laguna College of Art and Design (LCAD). Upon touring the college, I was not only absolutely astounded with the quality of work by the students and staff but also taken aback by the deep seeded history of the tradition of fine art. From that moment on, I was ready to commit myself to gaining the ability to draw and paint realistically. I had never taken an art class prior to attending LCAD. It took a lot time, dedication, and failure to understand how to draw and paint academically. The skills LCAD’s drawing and painting program taught me fundamentally changed the way I see the world. Learning the foundations of drawing and how to oil paint changed my artistic career by expanding my tool-belt and allowing me to speak a visual language that allows me to connects with humanity.

Since graduating in 2020, I’ve been experimenting with combining my love for intuitive abstraction with the technical skill I’ve recently acquired. Currently, my art is primarily oil paintings and digital paintings. In my studio work I have a propensity to explore the mundanity of coastal life, figurative and plein air orientated subject matter with an emphasis on color harmony and a heavily textural surface quality.

I’ve been interested in large scale murals ever since I was a child. I had the incredible opportunity in mentoring with artist, Timothy Robert Smith during and after my time at LCAD. Timothy taught me how to paint a mural start to finish. We actually had the pleasure and challenge of painting a two story mural in six days near my hometown in Pompano Beach, Florida on the Bailey’s Contemporary Art Museum in 2019. Also, I collaborated with non- profit organization called The Goodness Tour. They are a group of artists and musicians that travel the world sharing art and music with those experiencing extreme adversity and hardship. In 2020 I went to Abaco, Bahamas with The Goodness Tour to paint murals on an elementary school, and public and private infrastructures. We traveled all over the island to spread hope and art to those still devastated by Hurricane Dorian.

Currently, I’m an art teacher at Community Seedling Preschool in San Clemente, California. I paint oil painting commissions and murals. I sell my work on my website www.emilybertucci.com.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a friend coming to visit me in Oceanside I would take them beach hoping all along the coast of Southern California. We go explore the countless natural gems of California. We would definitely have to go to this little place in Carlsbad called the Strawberry Shack and the whole menu is different desserts made from their fresh locally grown strawberries, it’sinsane how good it is.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shoutout to my support system of family, friends, and colleges thank you for the never ending love. Shoutout to Laguna College of Art and Design and all the faculty that has been there consistently before and after my tenor. Thank you for taking the time to mold me into the artist I am today.

Website: https://www.emilybertucci.com/

Instagram: @emily.bertucci