STATEMENT
Emily Blair Quinn paints female figurines whose faces and expressions reveal a spectrum of psychoanalytic extremes and a progression on the road to emotional intelligence. The scale corresponds with the figure’s emotional state. Painting is an act of introspection and self-revelation in which Quinn examines the complexity and mystery of human emotion and the wonder and absurdity of the human hand attempting to interpret and emulate reality.
Quinn's process begins with a treasure hunt for figurines that appear haunted, sad, pensive, sexual, or otherwise easy to anthropomorphize. To elucidate for the viewer what she sees in the figurines, she arranges them in theatrically lit scenes, at times transforming them through paint, wax, and resin, before photographing them and using them as the basis for her paintings. She uses bright colors and dark humor to engage viewers, making her work a catalyst for uncensored conversations about vulnerability, empathy, and connection.
BIO
Emily Blair Quinn was born in Decatur, Alabama in 1990 and is currently based in Kansas City, MO. The artist received her MFA from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 2016 and her BFA from Auburn University in Alabama (2013).
Solo exhibitions of Quinn’s work include You Feel the Way I Feel (2023) and Silent Opera for the Unsound Mind (2021) at Marquee Projects in Bellport, NY.
Group exhibitions that have shown Quinn’s work have taken place at Marquee Projects (2022, 2020, 2018, and 2017); Pen + Brush in New York City (2023); High Noon Gallery in New York City (2022); the San Bernadino County Museum in Redlands, CA (2021); the Kansas City Artist Coalition (2021, 2020); Viridian Artists in New York City (2019); Joshua Tree Art Gallery in Joshua Tree, CA (2018); and The Dairy Arts Center in Boulder, CO (2017); and the Wiregrass Museum of Art in Dothan, AL (2014).
Quinn’s work has been published in New American Paintings, Create Magazine, Studio Visit Magazine, and VoyageKC Magazine.
Quinn was selected to attend residencies at Walkaway House (2023), ChaNorth in Pine Plains, NY (2022), Joshua Tree Highlands in Joshua Tree, CA (2018), and the Vermont Studio Center (2018) and at the Kimmel Harding Nelson artist residency in Nebraska City, NE (upcoming 2024).
Quinn’s work is included in the collection at the Bunker Art Space in West Palm Beach, FL, and numerous private collections across the United States and Europe.
For the month of March 2023, her work was featured on David Zwirner Gallery’s new Platform (platformart.com).
Quinn is represented by Marquee Projects in Bellport, NY
Emily Blair Quinn paints female figurines whose faces and expressions reveal a spectrum of psychoanalytic extremes and a progression on the road to emotional intelligence. The scale corresponds with the figure’s emotional state. Painting is an act of introspection and self-revelation in which Quinn examines the complexity and mystery of human emotion and the wonder and absurdity of the human hand attempting to interpret and emulate reality.
Quinn's process begins with a treasure hunt for figurines that appear haunted, sad, pensive, sexual, or otherwise easy to anthropomorphize. To elucidate for the viewer what she sees in the figurines, she arranges them in theatrically lit scenes, at times transforming them through paint, wax, and resin, before photographing them and using them as the basis for her paintings. She uses bright colors and dark humor to engage viewers, making her work a catalyst for uncensored conversations about vulnerability, empathy, and connection.
BIO
Emily Blair Quinn was born in Decatur, Alabama in 1990 and is currently based in Kansas City, MO. The artist received her MFA from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 2016 and her BFA from Auburn University in Alabama (2013).
Solo exhibitions of Quinn’s work include You Feel the Way I Feel (2023) and Silent Opera for the Unsound Mind (2021) at Marquee Projects in Bellport, NY.
Group exhibitions that have shown Quinn’s work have taken place at Marquee Projects (2022, 2020, 2018, and 2017); Pen + Brush in New York City (2023); High Noon Gallery in New York City (2022); the San Bernadino County Museum in Redlands, CA (2021); the Kansas City Artist Coalition (2021, 2020); Viridian Artists in New York City (2019); Joshua Tree Art Gallery in Joshua Tree, CA (2018); and The Dairy Arts Center in Boulder, CO (2017); and the Wiregrass Museum of Art in Dothan, AL (2014).
Quinn’s work has been published in New American Paintings, Create Magazine, Studio Visit Magazine, and VoyageKC Magazine.
Quinn was selected to attend residencies at Walkaway House (2023), ChaNorth in Pine Plains, NY (2022), Joshua Tree Highlands in Joshua Tree, CA (2018), and the Vermont Studio Center (2018) and at the Kimmel Harding Nelson artist residency in Nebraska City, NE (upcoming 2024).
Quinn’s work is included in the collection at the Bunker Art Space in West Palm Beach, FL, and numerous private collections across the United States and Europe.
For the month of March 2023, her work was featured on David Zwirner Gallery’s new Platform (platformart.com).
Quinn is represented by Marquee Projects in Bellport, NY