Artist's Bio
Emily Rapport is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she also attended The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York. Her work has been exhibited in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
Studio Visits
Emily's studio is open by appointment. Request a studio visit here »
Statement
I work in oils and watercolors; these mediums have distinct qualities but both allow me to explore qualities of light. My interest in light is not uncommon among painters, but I am especially drawn to artificial light (neon, flourescent store lights) within the urban landscape. There are no stars in the city, but there are traffic lights and PayDay Loan signs.
My work is based in a distinctly American experience, the subjects I paint (El tracks/street scenes, houses and portraits) show ordinary people and everyday life. These scenes are familiar to us but when transcribed to paint become imbued with an element of the sublime.
When you look at the work closely, passages in the painting become abstract and the narrative story blurs to focus on the application of paint. I use a lot of paint - moving the paint around has its own logic and architecture. The process of creating a representational image starts with seeing and reducing what you see to its essential elements. The subject is then "built" back up again in paint.
My work is representational, but the "feel" of the thing is more important to me than trying to create an exact drawing of any particular person or place. I take (and use) multiple photographs and often change proportions and elements of the original image as I work. Part of that is conscious choice and experience, some of it error and the rest - pure chance.
