Cornwall LivingAutumn 2021
Painting perfectionism
In a typically male-dominated industry, Emma Gill has used her skills, talent and determination to find herself at the top of her game.
Having been a painter and decorator for over eight years, and with a two-year apprenticeship with the Construction Industry Training Board under her belt, Emma Gill is making colourful waves in the painting and decorating industry with her company, Emmagine It Decoration.
An artist at heart, Emma has been selling her work since she was 14: “I’m happiest with a paintbrush in my hand, so after many years in the hospitality industry and as a Care Support Worker, and seeing other women branching out into the construction industry, I realised it was time to follow my passion.” Taking instruction from her grandmother, a talented artist based in St Just, Emma spent the summer holidays of her youth painting, honing a craft that would lead her to an apprenticeship and eventually training at the Dulux Academy in Slough, allowing her to become a certified Dulux Select Decorator for the past four years, meaning that Dulux guarantees her work for two years!
Emma’s hard work and talent truly paid off when she was selected out of hundreds of painters with the same prestigious Dulux certification to become part of the team for the new series of Changing Rooms, creating the stunning designs of Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and Jordan Cluroe and Russel Whitehead of 2LG Studio. “We left our families to go into isolation to form our working bubble in order to do the whole series in one go, and I feel I’ve gained an amazing new family during this adventure,” explains Emma after long days travelling the country with the show, using some incredible effects alongside inspiring designers.
The road to success wasn’t always a smooth one for Emma: “I was told many times that I wouldn’t make it as a female in a man’s trade. That I was too much of a perfectionist, but me being a perfectionist was what made me sure that I would prove them wrong.” Emma works all over Cornwall, embracing the long days and hard work that comes alongside the trade, and puts her skills and training to good use in turning houses into dream homes with a multitude of effects and techniques to offer her clients, to create any mood or energy that you could possibly ‘Emmagine’.
EMMAGINE IT DECORATION
07791 857722