In a playful, cathartic display, my work dances on the line between beauty and the grotesque. These ceramic oil paintings personify my anxieties, insecurities, and gen- eral romantic despair. Working with clay has helped me develop a voice in abstrac- tion, by communicating through movement; clay has this unique ability to capture a moment of movement unlike any other medium. My bisqued ceramic pieces are painted with oil, creating a surface inconsistent with traditional ceramic pieces or oil paintings. This combination leaves a matte, yet vibrant finish creating flat colour that loses no depth. The bold palette and lighthearted gestures in my work coax the viewer to get a closer look into what may be darker subject matter. Sometimes the uncomfortable, awkward parts of us are actually quite beautiful. My work expresses the way I understand my own physical form and limitations. Emotional gestures frozen in clay create a tableau whose narrative alters with each new perspective.

Emily Teague is a Vancouver-based visual artist from San Diego, California. Teague graduated with a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 2016. Born into a family of professional ballet dancers, Teague has always been inspired by theat- ricality and the human body. Endless sunshine, movement and self discipline left a lasting mark on the way she approaches art making. At Emily Carr, she majored in painting and minored in ceramic sculpture. During her final year of school, Teague merged her two favourite disciplines. She began creating abstract ceramic oil paint- ings, which has become the main focus of her practice. See more @ emilykteague_art.