GLASGOW, Scotland – A truly international affair, the French artist Florence Blanchard, a k a Ema, celebrates her former residency in New York with an event at the Glasgow gallery, Recoat.

Ema started her artistic career by spray-painting her hometown of Montpellier in the early 1990s. She took her graffiti skills to the rest of Europe, and the U.S. very soon thereafter. Her work can be found buildings and trains throughout the South of France, Paris and Barcelona; as well as Brooklyn, N.Y. The current show, “Breuckelen,” the original Dutch name for Brooklyn, celebrates the 10th anniversary of her move to New York, a period of great growth and creativity in Ema’s career.

Ema’s pieces for the show, a series of ink paintings on paper, feature favorite Brooklyn symbols, including the Domino Sugar Factory, illustrated with Art Deco flair. The walls of the gallery are painted with Ema’s trademark character Dropman—a sort of whimsical, mustachioed raindrop whose playful and enigmatic nature appealed to Amy Whiten, owner of Recoat Gallery.

“Are these guys, scientists? Philosophers? Dads? Brothers? Sons?” Amy asked. The question echoes what any spectator would ask of the blue-faced fellow, before just giving into the enjoyment of Ema’s work.

The exhibition, which opened with an event sponsored by the Brooklyn Brewery, runs until Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011. Recoat Gallery (recoat.blogspot.com), located at 323 North Woodside Road, Glasgow, is open 12-6 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday.

For more on Ema’s work, check out her webpage at this address – http://florenceblanchard.wordpress.com/bio/

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