Having never been one for eye contact, I would take to looking at anything else around me as a kid. My art today is a strong reflection of that as I strive to capture the beauty in the mundane, the overlooked, and the quiet things. Additionally, as strong emotions come to pass, I often turn to painting as a way to express myself in times when words don’t seem enough.
Duality In Black and White
Emma Liou 2024
“Use and Consequence”
“Peace and Chaos”
“Creation and Distruction”
For these works, I was tasked to create a black and white three-piece series on duality in any form, and the first thing that came to me was fire. Fire is so many things: light, heat, hope, tragedy, birth, destruction, and these three acrylic paintings represent that. These paintings are also heavily influenced by my growing up in California. Having constantly witnessed the power of fire and the destruction it caused, but also knowing it was a crucial and lifesaving resource all throughout history, the idea of fire gained a complex image in my mind.
Love, Loss, and Acceptance (An Intch)
Emma Liou 2025
“Love”
“Loss”
These works are inspired by a poem I wrote in a moment when I felt an overwhelming sense of grief upon being reminded of someone who is no longer present in my life. The poem is written out in pastel over the acrylic paintings to express how the moments and parts of me that are depicted are still stained with memories. The first image depicts a moment of intimacy, representing the one reflected upon in the poem. The second is an abstracted image of my back, as it was the place where I felt the said person’s absence. The third and final image is a point-of-view shot looking down at the hand I used to scratch my itch, a visual representation of the shock, unease, and sadness I felt comprehending just how strange my own hands felt on my body.
“Acceptance”
“Let Down” by Radiohead
Emma Liou 2025
These works were inspired by the song “Let Down” by Radiohead, a song that has immense emotion and one I resonate with deeply. The piece on the left is acrylic with the lyrics in oil pastel. Those lyrics stood out to me because of the sense of hope they imply, illustrating an escape from a hard place in life. I capture this message by depicting the man curled over, showing his pain and suffering, but his wings growing give proof of a better future. The second piece is oil pastel and paper cutting. The image under the lyrics is not directly reflecting a message from the song, but rather is a translation of how that moment in the song made me feel and a visual representation of how it sounded to me. I chose to cut out and lay the letters on top of the drawing so that the dimension created by the shadow could visualize the impact of the moment in the song, and how much it stood out to me.
Why Paint This?
My paintings are all very personal to me, but this one was the first of many that set me on the path of painting the beauty I see in my everyday life. This was the first instance where I photographed something ordinary, my feet in the rainy school parking lot, and made it into a display of detail and beauty.
Body Memory
Emma Liou 2024
This is a three piece series on body memory. My high school experience was most definitely not the typical one, but going to an arts school was a blessing of inspiration for me. With creation and creativity constantly surrounding me, it was easy for me to find inspiration for these pieces through my peers. These acrylic paintings represent the muscle memory and skill that is so deeply integrated into the arts that it is often overlooked.