Meet the Artist · Mar 09, 2024

Meet the Artist: EMYO

Last winter we were in Newport Beach, California shooting our spring collection at one of my friend's homes. Hanging over the mantel in her living room was a stunning painting that I couldn't take my eyes off of. The vibrant pastel colors of the impressionist style summertime scene exuded peace and happiness. I asked my friend where she found the incredible art and she told me she had it commissioned from a Tennessee-based artist named EMYO. Upon my return to Connecticut, I researched EMYO and discovered a treasure trove of her incredible works. Reflective of her own vibrant Cuban heritage, each piece she paints is bold and transportive, sparking joy.

I am thrilled to introduce you to the amazing EMYO and to present a beautiful collection of her original works created exclusively for Cailíní Coastal. From ginger jars to sailboats - this collection entitled "Sing Me a Song of Water" is sure to capture the joy that both EMYO and I share being by the water.

Read on to learn more about EMYO and to preview her latest collection created exclusively for Cailíní Coastal.

Enjoy!

xo Meg

Credit: EMYO

CC: Where are you based?

E: I live and create art alongside my husband and six children on a grassy piece of land in Tennessee.

Credit: EMYO

CC: Tell us about your background and how you got your start as a artist:

E: I am the daughter of a Cuban American, my expressive style and bold strokes may find their origins in my Spanish roots. My Cuban grandfather, a physician, found his escape from the realism of medicine was his time painting on miniature canvases. These works of art were filled with the bold remembrances of the Cuba he escaped. My mother remembers discovering I was an artist at an early age. Every school notebook of mine was filled with drawings, sketches, and studies of life around. My drawing for years and years laid the foundation for the painting that would come later in my life. I am a graduate of Auburn University and I have studied in Italy with an impressionist master, focusing on a method passed down from the impressionist painter John Singer Sargent.

CC: In what style do you paint/how would you describe your style?

E: I paint in a style reminiscent of John Singer Sargent, Robert Henri, Manet, and Degas - the Impressionists focused on learning to See rather than learning to Paint. I've learned that by squinting and blurring my eyes, I can see not just lines but the shapes, shadows and light all around me.

Credit: EMYO

CC: What inspires your work?

E: My life feels like an impressionist painting. Stand up close and see smudges of color blur together. A loud kitchen full of kids. Art supplies spread all over my studio. But stand back, and the clashes of chaos - the mundane and messy details - reveal the harmony of a meaningful story. It's in my work that this beautiful mess lives; where I capture little moments of joy. From life with my big family, my travels, books I'm reading, or the flowers on my counter, my paintings reflect memories; these are memories that I share with you.

Credit: EMYO

CC: We love how you work with color! You’re able to make such different colors look good together. Tell us about your relationship with color as an artist?

E: I am always looking for color inspiration in life around me. It might come from the way that the sky-blue look next to that certain orange leaf on my morning walk with my dogs, the way the perfect green on the paneling in my favorite downtown hotel coffee shop talks to those pink chairs, or the colors on a children’s book cover during my morning read-aloud time with my kids. I never know when Color Inspiration will strike!

Credit: EMYO

CC: You paint such a variety of subjects, what do you enjoy painting most?

E: I love walking in creative places, resting by water, and gathering in the outdoors- especially picnics in green spaces. I often say that I want people to recognize a feeling in my paintings that brings them joy, perhaps remembering a place they have loved as well and the way they felt while they were there.

Credit: EMYO

CC: If you had to choose a favorite piece from this collection, which would it be and why?

E: This collection is named “Sing me a Song of Water” and I can honestly say that each piece brings me Joy because I simply love the water- perhaps its my Cuban roots calling out to me through my art.

Credit: EMYO

CC: When you’re not painting, what will we find you doing?

E: Home schooling, reading, traveling, gathering with friends, supporting immigrants. Cheering on my children at games/plays/practices. I love exploring new places, caring for my mom, taking road trips, trying new recipes and cooking with my family.

Shop our exclusive collection with EMYO on Cailíní Coastal.

For more information on EMYO and her gorgeous paintings, visit EmyoArt.com and/or follow @EmyoArtwork on Instagram.