Emma Crisp

I have loved creating art since I was a young child. I always had access to just about all the materials I wanted, as my mother is an artist, and our home was rich with creativity. This was “normal”.
I went through phases… when I was younger, I loved butterflies and flowers and in middle school I had a big “fish” period, some of which I created out of fabric and painted; all were my own unique designs and interpretations. In high school I discovered jewelry and clay through which I could transform my patterns and painting into three-dimensional art.
What I most love is mixed media collage. My current work is a culmination of my love for color, pattern and texture, incorporating paper, acrylic and gold enamel paint and liquid markers, all under the umbrella of my love for Art Nouveau and Impressionism - specifically Klimt, Mucha, Schiele and many other artists throughout that period. I loved putting them all together, working around the cut paper shapes and patterns, experimenting with the process and resulting compositions. After a period of working on furniture surfaces and creating frames in both mosaic and collage, I now primarily work on primed panels and canvas.
I begin with the paper, most often recycled calendars I have collected over the years. I then paint and embellish with a variety of paints (watercolor, 3D acrylic and metallic) and pens, paying close attention to composition, space and perspective in relation to the subject of the collage - which is generally my main inspiration. I love the juxtaposition of the collage and the patterns and designs I have incorporated - and the clean edges.