The Scribe - Page 3

QUICK SCROLL Ohio tile artist turns childhood beeswax crafting into a 20-year career creating ceramics inspired by nature and the restored Cuyahoga River. @emu_art_tile emutile.com Roots in Wax and Clay Emily Ulm’s artistic journey began in childhood with a beloved Play-Doh Fun Factory and early exposure to ceramics through exceptional public school art teachers. Growing up in creative family, her father worked as a beeswax candlemaker and set up booths at Cincinnati’s annual Appalachian Festival. There, young Emily sold small wax sculptures made from his candle trimmings, with beeswax-yellow roses becoming her best seller. From Sculpted Originals to Lasting Impressions Emily creates tiles by sculpting originals in low relief, making plaster molds, then pressing clay into them for duplicates. Her catalog includes hundreds of designs featuring local flora and fauna from the Kent area. For the past 20 years Emily has operated from her home studio in Kent, Ohio, located near the Cuyahoga River, which she regularly visits and draws inspiration from the wildlife, including its past regeneration from fires and pollution. Her decorative and functional tiles primarily serve fireplaces and backsplashes in homes, though she occasionally works on public projects like Kent’s Chimney Swift Tower. She hopes her work serves as a bridge that deepens our connection with our personal space, as well as nature itself. Emily Ulm: Nature in Every Tile