On the Cover

On the Cover: Emma Ryder

By catalyst

“I’m fun. Don’t take me too seriously. Well, I guess, take me seriously, you know. But it’s fun. That’s what it’s about, fun.”
    – Emma Ryder

(Imagine a blushing red-head with a big smile, excitedly waving her hands above her head in an erratic windmill-like movement.)     

For Emma, the entire process of making art is fun, but she takes her fun seriously. When she drives a handful of willing models to the desert to pose in cardboard robot costumes and duct-taped Spandex, she sees that they all wear sunscreen and drink plenty of water. When she plays dress-up with her young cousins and makes them pose like baby dolls, she still feeds them a good dinner and gets them to bed on time. The seriously fun process becomes apparent in the images she produces.

emmacover.jpg Emma likes to amuse and she does this with photography that is sometimes goofy, sometimes over the top. Some images are more classically beautiful than others, but all are equally intriguing and visually appealing.

Emma received a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Art from Westminster College in 2006. Emma, along with her twin sister Addie, make up Catalyst’s dynamic ad sales and production duo. Visit Emma in her booth at this year’s Utah Arts Festival June 21-24 at Library Square.

Click here to email Emma.

This article was originally published on May 31, 2007.