We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Emma Lyons. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Emma below.

Emma, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

When my mother was little, she asked my grandfather how much he loved her.

She expected him to stretch his arms wide and shout “This much!” or point to the sky and say “To the moon and back!”

He instead said, “88.”

He never told her what it meant. But as she grew older, she learned that there are 88 keys on a piano. That there are 88 constellations in the Milky Way.

And, as unplanned as I was, I was born in 1988.

So to me, “I love you 88” means “I love you more than I can express, but the closest I’ll come to it is the sound of your favorite music, or the breathtaking night sky, or miracles you didn’t know you needed.”

And in the process of making 88 marks, I recreated these expressions of love through abstract visuals of music and stars in my painting “88”. It’s the most ME way to share this family story from someone who loved people so well. If this was the only message I got to pass on to the world, I would be content.

Hey. You. The one reading this. If no one has told you lately…

I love you 88.

Emma, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

A self-taught artist, Emma has hosted two solo shows and curated two group shows. She has collectors from local Chicago to global South Korea, and clients include the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Prada.

Inspired by Divisionism and Pointilism, Emma’s Abstracture style combines bold colorful strokes with geometric placement using a wet-on-wet technique. She sometimes combines this with her first passion of Figurative art, blending fantastical worlds created by inspiring characters into a work of entrancing and alluring ideas. This work explores the idea of feeling allowed to take up space and to trust that where we are led is where our story is supposed to be.

“My style explores the idea of feeling allowed to take up space. So often we are told that what speaks to our soul isn’t welcome. Here, I welcome you. I encourage you to be your rich, colorful, dynamic self, meant to be developed but not restrained. I wish to encourage you to feel uninhibited when you pursue what you enjoy. To be passionate about being passionate.”

Emma is currently accepting commissions for those who enjoy geometric abstract, color, and texture. Her process involves learning about her collectors’ stories and spaces, allowing her collectors to feel seen and be reminded that they are a work of art themselves.

Art lovers and collectors can find her work on her website EmmaLyonsArt.com, in person at many summer art fairs throughout Chicago, and on social medias all under @EmmaLyonsArt.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

First off, I have a hot take here: I don’t believe that people can be non-creatives. I see every person as a creative, even if they show their creativity in spreadsheets or how they organize their work conversations, rather than traditionally artistic avenues.

But back to the question.

Something that I would love to be understood about me in my professional art career is that in my humanity, my confidence has ups and downs.

It sounds obvious, but that means that while most days I feel fulfilled and loved and appreciated by my viewers, some days I am TERRIFIED.

And it’s on those days that encouragement means the most to me. It’s on those days that I need to hear why my art speaks to people.

And I know you have those days too. The days where one small smile or easy compliment lifted you out of somewhere sad, dark, or scary.

So what would I like you to understand? That you can be that for someone in your life. And probably without knowing it.

Please take the chance to brighten someone’s day. They might need your extra light.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Allowing people to feel seen. To be loved for who they are and for who they want to grow into.

I love all things that bring beauty and wellness into the world. I enjoy encouraging people with compliments, and find them easy to give. I see my art in the same way I see people: rich with color and character, full of dynamic personality.

When people see themselves as works of art, I consider it a job well done.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.EmmaLyonsArt.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmalyonsart/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/EmmaLyonsArt
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@emmalyonsart

Image Credits
Professional photo Photo by Joe Underbakke at JoeUStudio