
Meet Nashville Painter And Mother Emily Leonard Southard
Written by James Kicinski-McCoy
Photography by Photography by James-Kicinski-McCoy
We were invited to spend a morning with Nashville born-and-raised artist Emily Leonard Southard in her charming and eclectic, mid-century, dream-bungalow that she shares with her husband Sloane, their adorable 19-month-old daughter Wendy Anne, and their two cats Sara and Mo. Here, the stunning mother of one talks about the things she loves most, how being an artist is in her blood, and what life is like after becoming a parent. So, pull up a chair and click through our slideshow below. We know you’ll be inspired by this mom’s genuine spirit, as well as her jaw-dropping studio, and much more!
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"Colorful, peaceful, creative, welcoming."
Emily wears a vintage dress and sweater. She picked up her sandals in a beach shop, while in Italy. Wendy wears a dress given to her by Emily's dad.
- So much light in this darling little study.
- "No, not too much. I think the baskets of toys here and there add to the warmth of the place."
- "I love the upstairs study for it’s flood of natural light. It feels like a treehouse. But, I love using the living room, especially in winter. The wood burning fireplace and abundance of art make it cozy and bright."
- Love birds.
- "Wendy Anne’s gender was a surprise, so I simply focused on keeping the nursery warm and bright with sweet fabrics, textures, and pieces of art. The closer we got to a due date, the more feminine the room became. I was hoping for a girl and was feeling pretty sure that’s what she was by about 8 months."
- A paper butterfly mobile Emily made with her three teenage nieces the night before Wendy arrived.
- "She loves her big ‘dolly’ that I made her for her first birthday, which makes me so happy. She also likes the Bryce McLoud print of the moon that says 'Look Up.'"
- A tiny art smock made for Wendy Anne by Emily's friend Katherine Voight.
- "I only buy what I really, really love. I like to thrift and flea, but I try to stay discriminating about what comes into our home. I never consider if something matches and I never know where a piece of art will go before I buy it. I can always find a place for something if I love it. I’m very particular about spacial arrangements. I think that’s the only reason my eclectic taste still feels pulled together!"
- Trying on mommy's shoes.
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"Wow. How hasn’t it changed? The best word for my life as a mother is full. The fullness is both exhilarating and exhausting. The biggest challenge has been finding time for friendships. I have had to prioritize the needs of my family and my work this past year. When I do find a little free time, my highly introverted nature desperately needs time alone, so I have lost out on precious time with friends. I hope I can turn that around soon."
Emily wears a vintage Mexican shirt from the flea market and thrifted Wrangler jeans. Wendy Anne wears a tunic that belonged to Emily when she was a child and leggings by Zara.
- "Honestly, it was just the fact that Wendy Anne is a whole person with an identity and soul. When I was pregnant, I tended to focus so much on what it would be like to have a baby and I didn’t realize that I was also going to have a person. A person who will shape and change me just as much as I shape and change them."
- On Emily's Dresser.
- "Wendy is my mother’s first name and Anne is Sloane’s late mother’s first name. We wanted to honor them both—and we also thought the name was so sweet."
- "These rocks and shells have been collected from all of the coasts and bodies of water we have visited. We hope to live on the water one day."
- "Everything. She is such a sweet, tender girl. So thoughtful and kind. She makes me a better person every day."
- "That sculpture belonged to my grandparents. My grandfather was an artist and they had an extensive art collection. He passed away 15 years ago, but she just passed away this winter, so the works of art have been passed down to all the kids and grand kids."
- This chair painting was a Christmas gift given to Emily from her husband Sloane this past year by local artist Mandy Rogers Horton.
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"Classic, colorful, unexpected, easy."
Emily wears a top by Nashville brand Jamie and the Jones and pants by Rachel Zoe. Wendy wears a vintage dress and leggings by Zara.
- "Yes! I just don’t have as much time to think about clothes. If I put on a good outfit one day, one that feels great and works with the current weather, I might wear it four days in a row!"
- "My black bell bottoms and my thrifted Wranglers. I can put on any top and shoes with either of those and feel great."
- Wendy Anne's beloved basket of books in the living room.
- "I love shopping local. It just feels so much better than sorting through the mega stores or the internet. Some of my favorite local designers are Elizabeth Suzann, Jamie and the Jones, Annie Williams, Nisolo, and of course Imogene + Willie for jeans."
- "Yes, I do much less of it, so I’m much more decisive. I don’t have time for returns or sifting through loads of clothes in my closet that aren’t quite right. My standards have gotten higher. I walk away from pieces more often and if something is a little expensive, but highly useful and fits great, I buy it without fretting over the price like I used to."
- The tiniest closet space.
- "I love this inexpensive balm out of Ojai called Sweet Bee Magic. It has saved my skin this past winter. I use it all over. I also like the products from a local maker called Golden Apothecary. My husband loves their headache oil. I usually forget to wear scents, but when I remember I like Kai oil or white musks."
- "No, I don't wear hats much. I'm very functional when it comes to hats and most accessories. I just use them when the weather calls for it. Our deck doesn't have much cover from the sun and we have parties out there often, so I keep them by the door so that guests can easily grab one if the sun is bright."
- "The dining room is the center of the house and we do most of our living there. All of Wendy’s toys are there and we eat every meal there. Our house is rather small, so we try and make all the rooms very useful."
- Art is literally hanging everywhere.
- Mo taking a cat-nap outside.
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"I love to get out with her. She is highly social, so she’s happiest running errands and meeting up with friends. We try to be outside as much as we can as well."
Emily wears a thrifted sweater, pants by Mark and Estel, a leotard by American Apparel, and Frye sneakers. Wendy Anne wears a sweater and leggings by Zara.
- "Yes, my friend Timshel is an inspiration. Not only does she balance art, motherhood, and marriage remarkably well, but she is very perceptive about who her children are and their specific needs. Her 4 boys hit the jackpot with her!"
- "A female painting professor in college told me that multi-tasking isn’t necessarily virtuous. I believe our culture has inappropriately tied hyper-producitvity to strength and success. I think they need to be disentangled. As a mother, I fall into the multi-tasking trap far too often, but I find that I’m happiest and most effective if I can rise above it and try my best to do one thing at a time."
- "The multi-tasking trap I just spoke of has been a big challenge for us, as my husband has also started a business around the time Wendy Anne was born. We try to remain sensitive to each others needs and we are fortunate to have lots of family around who are willing to keep Wendy, so we can get time together."
- "I would like to be more faithful to friendships in my life. It is easy to get focused on the immediate needs around you and forget about those in your community. I also wish I were more organized! I think a lot of household duties would take less time if I invested some energy in organization."
- Walking to Emily's studio.
- "I am an artist. I paint and draw."
- "I’ve been painting since I was one and a half. I never wanted to be anything other than an artist, professionally. I started working 5 days a week in the studio as soon as I finished college and have never looked back."
- "Sea fans" found in Tulum.
- Hiding in mommy's pants.
- "I love that it is my life’s work to look around me carefully and openly. I get to sit and notice things, let colors and shapes move me, and then share what I see and hope that it moves others."
- "The studio had a dirt floor and plywood walls when I bought the house, so I had the concrete poured, the walls fortified with insulation, dry wall, etc. I painted everything white and just started filling it with everything I need to make my work. I also had the large rolling wall built for the space. It was pretty perfect as is. I haven't had to do too much to make it inspiring!"
- A fraction of Emily's paint brushes.
- "I just finished a big project with the Nashville Ballet. I painted a 22-foot long painting onstage during their piece called ...But The Flowers Have Yet To Come. There is talk of touring the piece, so that would be fun! Other than that, I am working on commissions and putting together a new collection of work."
- "So much of my relationship to my work has changed. I thought that I would want to step back from it, but after doing that for a while, I realized how deeply important it is to me. My landscape work (which is the work I’ve done for over 15 years) is dense, layered, complex, and often dark. In fact, the process came out of living a single life, so I’m trying to change my process a little. I want to find a new way to paint that reflects my current life—bright, bold, full, and faster paced. It’s exciting but scary to make these changes."
- "I am lucky to have my mom and dad keep Wendy two days a week. We have a babysitter who comes another day, so I get about 18 hours a week in the studio. When things are going well in the studio, I am not very good at keeping up household duties. So, I’m learning to let go of that a little!"
- "It is a photograph by artist Mark Mumford. I saw it in Miami during Art Basel many years ago. I was exhibiting some work there that year. It was far too expensive for me, but I felt like I had to have it. So, I asked the gallery if I could pay them $100 a month until it was payed off. The amount of wealth walking around Miami during this fair is staggering. They probably thought it was sweet that I wanted to spend my meager income on this piece, so they were happy to oblige."
- Philodendron leaves sitting on top of a stack of Emily's grandfather's Saturday Evening Post cover illustrations.
- "My husband prefers me in comfortable clothes (I’ve found that most men are that way), so a great fitting pair of jeans and a sexy top, maybe something mohair or backless. It’s always nice to give them something soft to touch, right?"
- "I’d love to buy a new pair of sneakers for both of us for spring. Probably Converse for the little one and navy Superga for me."
- Cute animal toys above the kitchen sink.
- "I love Nashville. It is both my husband and my hometown, so we have deep roots here. It’s also exciting to see how much it has grown and changed in the past 10 years. This will always be our home, but we’d like to have some time away. We’ve been talking about living somewhere on the west coast for a year or so. We’d like to give our little family a chance to find it’s identity aside from all those built in hometown pressures."
- "We spend a lot of time with family because we have so much of it around us! The perfect weekend day would include a big lunch with lots of brothers, sisters, and cousins, a visit to a park, perhaps meeting some friends for a late afternoon bite and then hitting an art opening."
- "My favorite restaurant is Rolf and Daughters. I also love Margot, Epice, and City House. The Nashville Farmer’s Market is a great place to have lunch. The Nashville Flea Market is always fun for finding old toys or a cool, old tricycle or wagon. Same with Gas Lamp antique mall or Downtown Antique Mall. I take Wendy Anne to play at the Downtown Library, Cheekwood or any of Nashville’s great parks—Shelby, Centennial, the Warner Parks, etc. In the summer, we go with friends to the tiny beaches of Percy Priest Lake every Sunday afternoon. As far as museums go, The Frist Center and Cheekwood are both great places for families. We are also lucky to have the new venue, OZ. They have incredible arts events there, on both the local and national level. For out-of-towners I recommend hitting Broadway—it's kind of a must. Robert’s Western World for honky-tonk, Monell’s or Arnold’s for southern food, and a drive down Belle Meade Boulevard to see the big, old homes and pretty yards. The Athena (inside the Parthenon) doesn’t disappoint. It’s also fun to drive down music row, so people can see that music history really does get made here."
- Wendy Anne hiding under her great-grandfather's desk.
- "I treasure this desk that my grandfather made in high school shop class. He hand-carved beautiful designs all over it, including his initials front and center. Wendy loves to hide under it."
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