Emily Quandahl (b. 1994) is a process painter and mixed-media artist based in Minneapolis.

Her compositions utilize bold palettes and textures, starting intuitively on the floor with a base of diluted acrylics. From there, she draws from experience and impressions of her life through an abstract lens to build up layers until a balance is found. Combining crafts such as needlework and hand-stitched quilting with raw canvas painting are of her latest focus.

As an artist, I explore the intersection of fine art and craft, blending my painting practice with domestic textile traditions. My painting practice is rooted in repetition and intuition, beginning with the layering of diluted acrylic on raw canvas until a balance is found. After the initial painting phase, I transform the canvas by taking it off the stretcher bars and integrating traditional household crafts such hand-stitched quilting, skills that have been passed down through my rural matriarchal lineage. 

I utilize the term "quilting" to emphasize both the construction method and its historical context, which traditionally involves stitching together layers of fabric to not just a functional item, but also a cohesive narrative woven through the piece. My work is a conversation between structure and intuition, honoring both the discipline of painting and the intimacy and labor of hand-stitched textiles. I consciously choose to hand-stitch over a sewing machine to emphasize the human touch with slight imperfections, using embroidery floss to spotlight the practice.

Following this, I re-stretch the quilted canvas to paint again, ensuring that the segments blend seamlessly and the detailed stitching becomes more subtle.