Emily Rapport's quiet and steady voice wafts through the intercom system in the silent entrance off of 4541 North Ravenswood. Two flights up a cement building, and I've entered Eat Paint, Rapport's work-space-turned-private-gallery. Named after Van Gogh's tendency to chew on the ends of his brushes, the studio is filled with her stoic portraits and acerbic Chicago scenes.

The sprightly artist pushes a deep salmon rattan chair around a wall dividing her space from that of the mosaic artist she shares it with, inviting me to have a seat. Over the course of the next half hour, she details the story behind her work.

A portion of Rapport's studio resting against the window houses conical mounds of oil paints on a palette, brushes and empty jars. The artistic devices sit on a large table smattered with the streaks of warm, acidic tones used for painting L tracks, drunken bar exchanges and people with laissez-faire attitudes. Her expressive utensils now share the space with ArtWalkRavenswood pamphlets and business cards. Rapport's recently taken a break from daily 12-hour painting stints to become the executive director of this community-building partnership.

Those young, urbane couples and hipsters who salivate over Rapport's inspired renditions of local haunt Delilah's can easily schedule an appointment to stop by her studio. Pieces, which cost up to $2,000, can afford any art buff a piece of Chicago history. And the one-on-one encounter with Rapport and her work might also inspire the average Chicagoan to go out and explore a little more.

Centerstage Reviewer: Nola Akiwowo