Meet the Artist
Isabel Emerson is an artist and writer currently based in Minnesota.
My current practice explores the intersection of grief and identity, with an emphasis on visceral, ephemeral lines formed by abstract forms and repetition. Manipulating surfaces and paint with found additives, including crushed limestone, sandstone, and basalt, has helped me achieve desired textures.
Working with sediments made me curious about the field of geomorphology.
A collection of work inspired by Pablo Neruda's "Ode to Some Yellow Flowers" exemplifies both the use of additives and my first work with oil paint. The representative image entitled ‘before her burial’ is an experimental work. Graphite is applied intentionally very quickly and without stability, capturing immediate visceral pain.
I am now a feral artist. I have no interest in limiting myself to one process/system of materials for making art. Using my own hands as a tool allows me to enter my own work in a way I once thought taboo.
I reject the inherent misogynist phenomenon that quietly encourages women to become smaller, to be lesser. I create with curiosity, and will do so for as long as I am physically able. Currently, my large abstract landscapes fixate on the sky: horizon lines and clouds. I want to shift the focus toward the earth and let the ribbons of color flirt with the horizon lines.
I seek to explore intimate moments, painful and joyful, in the years after surviving intimate partner violence. What do these moments (living in the after) look, feel, and smell like, as they exist within my own cisgender female body? How is my experience similar or different from that of others? My name is legally Mary Kallemeyn, but I work under the pseudonym Isabel Emerson for my own safety. Now in a place of physical and emotional safety, I can create with abandon.
I am interested in exploring the relationship between predators and prey and how such human interactions can create defining moments in an individual's subjective memory.
About Painting
The themes of repetition reflected in Emerson’s most current work are an abstract representation of the processes of surviving intimate partner violence.
Emerson aims to allow the viewer to step inside the art and experience a sense of safety and calm. It’s also an open invitation to reflect on this chaotic time and consider which objects, places, or people can offer even small comforts.
About Printmaking
Combining printmaking and painting allows Emerson elements of repetition to highlight deliberate objects, places, and spaces. Subjects are often common, albeit overlooked, parts of nature. Prints are hand-carved and hand-pressed. Watercolor paint is included sparingly. Some have natural elements, and others are more graphic.
CV
Mary Isabel Emerson Kallemeyn
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA in 1987. Lives and Works in Big Lake, Minnesota
2010 BA, Applied Economics, Fine Art with a Concentration in Painting, The College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, Minnesota.
Upcoming Events
What Is Still Lovely? An Exhibition of New Works
at Yellowbird Coffee Shop in Holland Arts East: January 2-31, 2026
Join Us for the Opening Reception at Holland Arts East
January 8th from 6-8pm.
Juried Exhibitions
2025 Art in Bayfront Park, Duluth, MN
2025 SoMi Art Fair, Bachman’s Home & Garden in Minneapolis, MN
2025 Lanesboro Fine Art Festival, Art in the Park, Lanesboro, MN. Mixed Media Artist.
2024 Lanesboro Fine Art Festival, Art in the Park, Lanesboro, MN. Mixed Media Artist.
2023 Lanesboro Fine Art Festival, Art in the Park, Lanesboro, MN. Mixed Media Artist.
Solo Exhibitions
2010 A Great Loss, The Red Mug, Superior, Wisconsin, Senior Exhibition by The College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, Minnesota
Group Exhibitions
2025 Holland-Daze Open Studio, Minneapolis, MN
2025 Alumni Makers Market at The College of St Scholastica, Duluth, MN
2025 Mother’s Day Pop Up, Mall of America, Bloomington, MN
2025 Monti Arts Community Art Show, Monticello, MN
2024- Selected Works: Created by CSS Art: Alumni and Current Students, The College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, MN
2023 Northwoods Art and Book Festival, Hackensack, MN
2021 Treefort Music Fest Storyfort Festival: Undergraduate Voices from Boise State University: Selected Fiction Reader: Short Story Benzo Benzo Benzo
2010 Ripple Effect: The Art of Creative Influence: Sarah Brokke, John Steffl Gallery, Duluth Art Institute, Duluth, Minnesota
2010 DAI Annual Membership Exhibition, Great Hall Gallery, Duluth Art Institute, Duluth, Minnesota
Published Works
2023 The Talking Stick Volume 32: Twist in the Road, Literary Journal of the JackPine Writers Bloc; First Prize in Fiction: Limes. Visit https://www.jackpinewriters.com/
2010 The Freshwater Review, Spring 2010 Volume 14, The Artistic & Literary Journal of the College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, Minnesota
2009 The Freshwater Review Spring 2009 Volume 13, The Artistic & Literary Journal of the College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, Minnesota
2007 Contributing Work Appendix A: Persuading the Audience Towards a Specific Action, Public Speaking, A Developmental Guide, Seventh Edition, E. Nelson, D. Peterson-Perlman, University of Minnesota Duluth
Press
https://ampers.org/mn-art-culture-history/mary-kallemeyn/
https://mnartists.walkerart.org/of-pastries-and-paintings-duluth-superior
https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/st-scholastica-students-get-taste-of-online-work-for-national-client
Awards
2023 Lanesboro Art Festival, Award of Excellence
2023 Jackpine Writers Bloc: Fiction First Place: Limes