Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emma Tapley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Emma, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

My father was a painter, and he suggested I apply to Music and Art High school which is now called LaGuardia

He gave me direction and helped me put together a portfolio. He showed me how to view the world, explaining the interrelationships of things. The world became an abstraction of dark and light, lines, shapes and atmosphere.

He enabled me to see in a way that altered my perspective of the world. I realized I had this ability and that this was what I wanted to develop.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was born in New York City My father had a studio in our loft in Chelsea and creativity was a constant.

After graduating from LaGuardia I went to Pratt for a year and received a BFA from The School of Visual Arts. Upon graduating I continued taking classes at The New York Academy and I maintained a strong studio practice, practiced figure drawing and went to many artist residencies

I pursued an interior decorative painting business simultaneously

In 1999 I started showing exclusively with Fischbach Gallery My first exhibit was reviewed in ArtForum by Barry Schwabsky and In 2000 I started exhibiting with Hemphill Gallery in DC

I paint inverted landscapes or reflections in oil on panels I work from life and from photographs

My work has a gentleness and quietness in both my creative pursuits I am interested in the simultaneity ,mystery, and poetic beauty of life

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In 2003 I was in Greenwich Conn working on a scaffold painting a mural outside a clients house where I fell on slate and cracked my skull My client found me 5 hours later and I was rushed to the hospital

I didn’t spend that long in the hospital I was determined to get back to what I was pursuing and within four months was back running a job in Diane Sawyer and Mike Nichols PH decorating their walls and preparing for the next solo show at Fischbach Gallery

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think something needs to be changed in the way the art world market is run. It is an unregulated market . For Instance, who really determines how things are priced ?

Art critic Jerry Saltz has said that things should be priced according to the year they were made.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://emmatapleyinc.org
• Instagram: @emmatapley

Image Credits
Chris Dinerman