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The Perks of Being an Artist

~ Because demented people need love, too.

The Perks of Being an Artist

Tag Archives: art

Abstract Cityscapes, Y’all

15 Thursday Feb 2018

Posted by emilypageart in art, painting, tattooing, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

abstract art, abstract painting, art, artist, artist Emily Page, Emily Page Art, Emily Page artist, life of an artist, oil on canvas, oil painting, red abstract art

Someone stop me. SOOOOO many abstracts for Ratatat Tats! I decided to include a couple abstracts that are more like my dancer series, inasmuch as there is something identifiable within the abstract painting. Instead of figures this time, I went for cityscapes. Sort of. It’s a “barely there” kind of dealio for this first one:

Abstract Cityscape I.JPG

Abstract Cityscape I 30″ x 26″ oil on canvas

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More Abstracts, Y’all

13 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by emilypageart in art, painting, tattooing, Uncategorized

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abstract art, art, artist, artist Emily Page, blue abstract art, blue and red abstract art, Emily Page Art, Emily Page artist, life of an artist, paint, painter, painting

I’m still having SO much fun with these abstracts for the tattoo studio. Like the last post, I had a good time playing with the palette knife, though it was on a much smaller canvas this time. I painted over an old painting that was just sort of meh. This isn’t usually a color combo that I love, but S asked me to do something in these colors, and I actually kinda dig it! Don’t ya just kind of want to lick it? Wait, is that just me? Too weird? Oh, well.

Abstract II

Abstract II 18″ x 24″ oil on canvas

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Marie Catoinette

12 Monday Feb 2018

Posted by emilypageart in art, cats, culture, humor, painting, Uncategorized

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18th century fashion, 18th century hairstyles, acrylic painting, art, cat art, cats, Emily Page Art, Emily Page artist, marie antoinette, marie antoinette hair, marie antoinette wig, marie catoinette, painting

I have a friend. She turned 50. I know: quite the accomplishment. In order to help her celebrate said milestone, I promised her a work of original art. She likes cats. And words. And fantasy. And, based on some of the art in her home, 18th century fashion? I don’t know, I could be getting that wrong. But she has a kickass sense of humor, so I decided to combine several of her loves for her very special, one of a kind, original Emily Page painting:

Marie Catoinette.JPG

Marie Catoinette 20″ x 16″ acrylic on canvas

Elle est tres jolie, non? Happy birthday, Laura!

Prints and stuffs available here and here.

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Abstracts, Y’all

11 Sunday Feb 2018

Posted by emilypageart in art, painting, tattooing, Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

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abstract art, art, artist, artist Emily Page, blue abstract art, blue and brown abstract art, blue art, Emily Page Art, Emily Page artist, life of an artist, oil on canvas, oil on linen, oil painting, painting, Ratatat Tats, tattoo studio

I had forgotten how much fun painting abstracts could be! I had been doing such tight, controlled, realistic work, that I forgot how freeing it could be to slap paint on the canvas all thick and gushy-like. I forgot how satisfying squishing and sliding paint around with a palette knife could be. I also forgot how hard on the hands it is working with big paintbrushes. Phew! That’s a workout! But, admittedly, a very fun one.

Here is the largest of the ones I’ve created for my tattoo studio, Ratatat Tats. I love diptychs and triptychs because you can go large and still fit the canvases in your car and not have to rent a van to transport it locally.

Abstract I.JPG

Abstract I 48″ x 84″ oil on canvas

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Grace

07 Wednesday Feb 2018

Posted by emilypageart in art, painting, tattooing, Uncategorized

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abstract painting, art, artist, artist Emily Page, Emily Page Art, Emily Page artist, oil on canvas, oil painting, palette knife painting, plastering walls, Ratatat Tats

Remember how I said that most of the paintings I’m creating for the tattoo studio I’m opening involve painting over old ones that I wasn’t so fond of? Well, here’s one of those. I’m applying plaster to the studio lobby walls, but there’s a little alcove that leads to 2 of the tattoo rooms that I’m not plastering. In order to segue from the plastered room to the non-plastered studio rooms, I’m mimicking the look of said plastering on the painting I’m hanging in the alcove. This is almost entirely palette knife work, with just a little brushed on glazing at the end:

Grace

Grace 45″ x 30″ diptych oil on canvas

Prints and other fun merchandise available here and here.

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A Train For Dad

05 Monday Feb 2018

Posted by emilypageart in art, death, dementia, family, gratitude, mental health, painting, sip and paint studio, tattooing, Uncategorized

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

anniversary of death, art, Emily Page Art, Emily Page artist, faith, grief, loss, oil painting, painting, painting of train, tattoo, train painting, trains

Today is the 2nd anniversary of my dad’s death. I still think about him every day. I still go through bouts of serious grief. I still picture those final, horrible, painful days with him as we sat by his bedside and watched him die. I still have nightmares. But, very slowly, I’m also starting to remember some small things from before his dementia, or at least in the very early phases of it. They’re not huge things, and there aren’t as many of those memories as I’d like compared to memories post-diagnosis. But they’re there.

I’m not going to lie and say that time has made this all easier to bear. It hasn’t. Life without my dad in it is lonelier. It’s a little less colorful. I feel less confident without him there to cheer me on. And I go through periods where the world seems bound and determined to remind me of him and make me cry. I want him back. Now. I want him to stop by and check on me, though I don’t even know if that’s possible. It’s hard not being a person of faith. Sometimes I think that his soul might be floating around out there, still tethered to mine somehow, like some big, transparent, elephant-shaped balloon. Other times that seems ridiculous. It feels like I’m looking for signs that aren’t really there. Or maybe they are.

In this time of transition in my life, I need him more desperately than ever to help confirm that I’m on the right path. Closing the paint and sip studio was hard, because it was a huge chapter of my life that he never got to see. And closing it reminds me of how many more chapters I’ll begin and end that he won’t be here to witness. But even if those chapters can’t be ours, they’ll still happen.

As we gear up to open the tattoo studio, I’m so sad that he’s not here to hug me and tell me how proud he is of me. I still need that paternal affirmation. So, I find myself doing little things to make him a part of things there. And that’s where this painting comes in. Long time readers know my dad was a huge train buff, so I created this painting for the tattoo studio lobby in hopes that I’ll feel like he’s taking part in this next phase of my life.

Steam Engine Wheels.JPG

Steam Engine Wheels 36″ x 46″ oil on canvas

Prints and other merchandise available here and here.

And in case you don’t already know: Know a caregiver, or someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone who knows someone else who’s a caregiver? Or heck, do you know a person? Well, you should tell them about my book, Fractured Memories: Because Demented People Need Love, Too. Part memoir and part coffee table art book, I recount my family’s heartbreaking and hilarious journey through my father’s dementia. Available to purchase here (this is my favorite way if you live in the U.S.), here or here if you’d rather get the eBook than a print copy, and here (especially if you want a hard cover copy).

Book cover 1

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Beauty That Moves

31 Wednesday Jan 2018

Posted by emilypageart in art, culture, gratitude, kindness, painting, Uncategorized

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

ani difranco, art, artist, beauty that moves, Emily Page, Emily Page artist, evolve, true definition of beauty, watercolor painting

I have a friend who said to me recently that she’s never felt beautiful. Actually, I’ve had a couple of friends who have said that, and it makes me so incredibly sad. These women are, objectively, lovely. I’m an artist, so I get to pretend to be an expert on these things. And when you get the chance to know the women who have told me this, they become even more beautiful. It’s unbelievable that no one has told them just how lovely they are in a way that convinces them. We all have our doubts about our own beauty. The media preys on that insecurity, and even the most gorgeous among us will obsess over her “flaws.” It claims to know the true definition of beauty and insists that we agree, even if we don’t fit into the current beauty fads.

But even with that knowledge, it’s been seriously bothering me that my one friend, in particular, doesn’t know what a beauty she is. There’s a line in an Ani Difranco song, Evolve, that says,

“it took me too long to realize

that i don’t take good pictures

cuz i have the kind of beauty

that moves”

I think that’s true for so many of us. Ours is a beauty that moves. It is in our laugh, or in our look of love. It’s in the kindness and joy and sadness and vulnerability that shine from our eyes. This beauty is not static, or easy to catch and capture. It flies, it runs, it does somersaults. Our beauty does not sit and wait for a photographer to tell us how to pose.

My friend is actually a photographer herself. It’s her job to make other people see their inherent beauty. She brings out the best in her subjects. And it’s high time someone did that for her. So I took a photo from her Facebook page and created a painting of her as I see her. It’s still not as beautiful as she is, but I feel it captures at least a hint of this beauty of hers that refuses to sit still.

Audrey

“Beauty That Moves” 11″ x 14″ watercolor on paper

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Follow Your HeArt

20 Monday Nov 2017

Posted by emilypageart in art, painting, tattooing, Uncategorized

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

art, Emily Page Art, follow your art, follow your heart, follow your passion, inspiration, painting, Raleigh art, Raleigh artist, watercolor

It’s official! We own commercial real estate. And we’re going to fill it with needles and ink. That’s right, I’m going to become a tattoo artist! Quick, hide the kids! I’ll go into more detail soon, but I just wanted to say that, as I realized I was having less and less fun teaching at the paint and sip studio (except for the consulting, which I still love), I had to take a long hard look at what I wanted to do next. And one thing was very clear: despite my frustrations at the business side of the art world, I want to make art. It takes away the itchiness in my soul. Making and promoting art is hard, but, fortunately or unfortunately, it’s essential –  at least for me. So following my heart means following my art. For all you other artists out there (whatever form your art takes, be it visual art, performance, literature, or anything else), don’t let the struggles of earning a living get to you. I know, those are easy words to say. This business is hard. But keep returning to the work and you’ll be okay.

Follow Your HeART.JPG

Prints and merchandise available here and here.

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Entwined Trees

13 Monday Nov 2017

Posted by emilypageart in art, humor, painting, Uncategorized

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

art, Emily Page artist, entwined trees, painting video, Raleigh art, tree drawing, tree painting, watercolor, watercolor and ink, watercolor painting, watercolor tree painting

Just finished up another little watercolor video for you. This time around, I went for a more limited palette and “stayed within the lines.” Not sure how I feel about staying in the lines. One of the things I’ve been having fun with is intentionally being loose and a little sloppy. When I do my realist paintings, I have to stay so tight and controlled, so needing to work fairly quickly for these videos is forcing me to ease up a little bit. It’s forcing me to be a loose woman…wait, maybe that’s not what I really mean…meh. Sure it is.

Anyway, here’s a video of an Entwined Trees painting, by a loose, loose woman.

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Happy Accidents

06 Monday Nov 2017

Posted by emilypageart in art, painting, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

art, artist, Emily Page Art, Emily Page artist, india ink, paint, painter, painting, painting video, watercolor, watercolor and ink, watercolor painting

If Bob Ross taught me anything, it’s that afros just don’t work on white guys. And if he taught me anything else, it’s that sometimes in art you have happy little accidents. As mentioned in my last post, I managed to spill a whole cap of ink onto my painting and threw my back out cleaning it up. I thought the whole thing was ruined, but when I finally made it back into the studio today, I discovered I actually kind of liked the ruined painting. So rather than scrapping the whole thing, I decided to embrace the mess and roll with it.  So here’s the next Chickadees painting video. Please excuse the hairdo – I hadn’t planned on filming myself today.

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Emily Page

Emily Page

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