Emma Lyons

Inspired by expressive fauvism, Emma's Abstracture style uses wet-on-wet techniques with heavy body acrylic materials, layering saturated pigments with palette knives and brushes to build texture and luminosity. Compositions balance gestural, expressive abstraction with precise geometric structure, often integrating figurative forms, and invoke themes of self esteem, vulnerability, and acceptance.

A self-trained artist, Emma has hosted five solo shows, curated two group shows, and her work has been shared in a number of exhibitions. Clients include Prada, InterContinental Hotel, and Design Within Reach, and live art locations include the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Epiphany Center for the Arts.

This process is deeply physical yet meditative, a dance between intuition and control. The goal is to create work that feels alive and honest, inviting viewers to recognize their own complexity mirrored in the interplay of color and form.

"My style explores the idea of feeling allowed to take up space. So often we are told that we are not enough. Here, I welcome you as you are. I encourage you to love your rich, colorful, beautifully imperfect self. You are a Work of Art.”

Solo Shows:
-April 2025: “The Garden and the Jungle”, Chicago
-April 2024: “Body of Work” at Zhou B Art Center
-October 2023: “High Vibrancy” at TimeOut Market Chicago
-January 2022: "Work In Progress" at Fulton Street Collective
- October 2021: "Overactive Imagination" at Fulton Street Collective

Curator/Juror:
- March 2022: "Muse and Movement" at Fulton Street Collective
- August 2021: "Portraits" at Fulton Street Collective

Exhibits:
- May 2022-current: Featured in multiple juried art fairs across Chicago and the Midwest
- April 2021-March 2023: Fulton Street Collective, West Town, Chicago
- July 2021-March 2023: Workbox, multiple locations in Chicago
- November 2021-Present: Dye Salon, Andersonville, Chicago
- December 2022: "Spice Spectacular" at Kiss The Brain
- June 2022-December 2022: Gadabout, Andersonville, Chicago
- March 2022: "Glow Up" at Hairpin Art Center
- October 2020-December 2020: Ruth's Cafe, Castleton, Indianapolis
- July 2020-October 2020: Press Coffee, Lincoln Park, Chicago