My Bio
Emily Katherine Lopez is a Beloit, Wisconsin–based artist working in paintings and photography. Her works explores personal memory, nostalgia, and the cycles of life, often drawing from childhood experiences and the natural world. Through her work, she reflects on themes of growth, change, and the passage of time.
Lopez holds a background in Studio Art and Media Studies, with a minor in Marketing, and maintains an interdisciplinary approach that extends into film and visual storytelling. She was awarded the Barbara and Bill Haseltine Project grant in support of an independent short film.
While her recent work has focused primarily on painting, her practice remains exploratory, continuing to evolve across mediums and themes.
Artist Statement
My work explores the relationship between the past and present, drawing on experiences from my childhood, adult realizations, and loss. I have selected objects or moments from old photographs around my house, which carry an unexpected emotional weight for myself. As I have grown older, I have become more aware of change. Specifically, losing a sense of youthfulness and learning to accept both the inevitable and the unknown. Rather than resisting this, my work embraces it. It becomes a way of acknowledging that time is always moving forward and that there is value in appreciating what we have while we have it.
I find inspiration from the connections with family members and personal interests like outdoor activities. During my paint sessions, I am influenced by my emotions and state of mind. My practice is still evolving, both technically and conceptually, but that process is essential. Each piece is part of an ongoing search for a visual language that feels honest and for a way to reconnect with earlier versions of myself. There are a variety of styles and tones I explored since I didn't want to restrict myself with certain mediums. I hope my work invites others to pause and reflect on their memories and the course of their lives.