Artist of the Week: Body Paintings by Emma Fay

“As we know, there are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns, that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know. We don’t know.”

– Donald Rumsfeld

Emma Fay is one incredibly creative talent. She is known world wide for specializing in make-up and concept artistry. Her surreal art works that combines her artistic, theatrical and business background blend in so perfectly, that you wonder for a bit if the paintings you see in front of you are real.

She uses contortionists to help her create magnificent giant spiders, elegant giraffes, colorful sea horses, and she doesn’t just play only with animal figures, but she dwells in more abstract things, like depicting the duality of a human being, abstract art exposing a desert plain at night and many more. If you are interested in more of her art, you can go check her Facebook page, or you can spend some time on her own website – you won’t regret it.

1. Emma Fay’s Theatrical Depiction

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In the words of the great William Shakespeare – “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women, merely players; They have their exits and their entrances. And one man in his time plays many parts”. Our life is like a play, with its ups and downs, with its plot twists; we see tragedy, we see comedy, we see joy – some more than others.

We all play a part in this world, whether we like it or not. If we think about it too much, it loses its magic, and it will crumble into small pieces, leaving you in a void. Laugh and cry, be aware that you can do both of them.

2. Desert Beauty

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The desert at night painted on this beautiful model just gives me goose bumps. It’s something about that nuance of blue that makes me think of the worlds wonders, and at what awaits us beyond space. I gotta give it you to Emma, you sure know how to make someone ponder at the great unknown.

Fun fact about Egyptian mythology: Set killed Osiris by tricking him into getting into a box. After he did so, Set sealed the box and threw into the Nile river. How could you fell for that Osiris? I mean, yeah sure, it wasn’t blatantly obvious that he is trying to kill you, but something could have come to your attention when he didn’t actually give you a motive for getting into that box.

3. Dragons

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“No, I would not want to live in a world without dragons, as I would not want to live in a world without magic, for that is a world without mystery, and that is a world without faith.” – and we couldn’t agree more with R.A. Salvatore. Even though they don’t actually exist in our world, fantasy stories about them still make us wonder and ask ourselves what if?

What if we lived in a world with dragons? What kind of adventures could you go with a dragon? I mean, going to the grocery store to pick up some apples with your pet dragon would be fun, but what about exploring the world’s jungles, forests, deserts, and the highest mountains?

4. Yin and Yang

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The duality of man, opposite forces that are actually interconnected, and interdependent in this world is a predominant principle in the Chinese philosophy. Yin and Yang, Yin-Yang is a symbol that depicts dualities – light and dark, high and low, hot and cold, fire and water, life and death, male and female, sun and moon and many others.

The Taiji philosophy is one good read, and I highly recommend you go spend a little time digging some stuff about it. It is an eye opener to the troubles that we encounter on our daily lives. It is an internal martial art, Chinese meditation and health practice the “Supreme goal” can enhance your spiritual life in a tremendous way.

5. Iceberg

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“The mind is like an iceberg, it floats with one seventh of its bulk above the water.” – Sigmund Freud’s words have affected Emma and her art. And her art is affecting us. Our mind wanders to so many places. Meditating once in a while can have an impact on your life – more than what you can think of.

But enough with being deep. I can’t believe how incredibly blue this piece is. I have been staring at it for the past 10 minutes, and I simply can’t look away. It is something mesmerizing about it. It’s like a Siren trying to lure us on her island. Kudos to you Emma.

6. Giraffe Contortionist Art

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Contortionism is usually a part of acrobatics and circus acts, but Emma found a way to use them in her art. One contortionism myth that made me laugh out loud is the one about contortionists having to dislocate their joints before, and during their performance. Just think for a second people.

How could they support themselves, how could they lift any weight if they dislocate their joints? A dislocated limb can’t do anything useful. Dislocations are used, but they are so incredibly rare, that we don’t even take them into account. Even those who practice enterology – squeezing one’s body into a small box or container – don’t actually dislocate their limbs. You force your joints to be more unstable and suffice to say, you are more prone to injury by doing so.

Alas, the journey through our list of Emma Fay’s art work has ended. Don’t forget that you can take a closer look at her art on her website, or Facebook page. If you have a favorite that didn’t made the list, and you want to share it with us, please do so by posting in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you!