Why the name "Emily Dickinson"?

When I first decided to exhibit my artwork publicly in 2009, I wasn't very concerned about marketing or branding my name and my work. I wanted all the emphasis to be on the image/object on the wall, not the presumed identity of its maker. I preferred to show anonymously, but that proved problematic for galleries. So I opted for a pseudonym instead, and I wanted one that fit well with the artwork, the same way you'd choose a frame for a piece of art. I chose "Emily Dickinson" because I thought it offered a good entry point for deeper appreciation of the paintings, especially the Plainsong Elegies. Her mythic persona of simplicity and quietude, her somewhat austere New England sensibility and her complex relationship with the transcendent seemed to match the character of the paintings. Unfortunately, many viewers felt confused or misled, expecting some more literal reference to the poet or her work, so I eventually discontinued using her name.