MILWAUKEE — Emma Daisy: You may not know her personally but if you know the Milwaukee area, you may have seen her work.
Her work includes murals, like near James Lovell Street and Wisconsin Avenue or at the Bayshore Town Center. It all pops with color, the bright images - created to bring out the joy in others.
"I think joy is not just a flat emotion. There is depth to it we don't always attribute to them,” Daisy said.
The joy Emma finds comes from her own journey of finding herself, both in life and in art.
Born in Korea, Emma and her older brother were adopted and raised in Waukesha. Emma was just one at the time.
Emma said at times she rejected her Asian heritage while trying to fit in with others.
"Being a Korean adoptee in a very white community and feeling very in-between two different cultures and backgrounds I didn't think I fell into,” she recalled.
Over time, she embraced her complete self-including her heritage and history. She wanted to learn more and embraced her difference. In time, it not only helped her fit in, it helped her stand out, allowing her to find what she calls, the "in-between."
"I think it's interesting because, on a very personal level, a lot of my work explores the space in-between,” Daisy said.
There's a little bit of "in-between" in all of us Daisy said. Much like her art - not all abstract, or naturalistic... Instead, a layered celebration of a journey to embrace one's self.
"You can celebrate and be joyful who you are where you come from and all the parts of all of yourself and if you feel like you don't fit, you can forge your own path,” she said.
For more of Emma’s work, visit Emmadaisy.com.
