When you look into someone’s eyes, you get a glimpse into the human spirit and search for connection. Capturing modern-day people in traditional portraiture is a way to connect the old with the new, building upon the foundations of the past while pushing the boundaries of the present. My work is an intense perceptual study of the mosaic of what it means to be human.

BIO

b. 2001 Calgary, Canada

Emma Rach-Syslak is an up-and-coming Canadian fine artist specializing in still life and portraiture.  At the age of 23 she is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art, and has studied under many famed artists including Cornelia Hernes, Stephen Bauman, Jordan Sokol, Amaya Gurpide, and Rachel Personett to name a few.  Emma’s first solo exhibition was in 2019 in Canada and has had private shows and exhibited her work in galleries around the world.  Emma has won multiple awards for her art including the Queen’s Golden Jubilee for Visual Arts in Alberta in 2021, the Young Artist award for the Royal Institute of painters in watercolours in 2024, and the Best Portrait Award for the Canadian Portrait Society in 2024.  Emma’s paintings are meant to intrigue and illuminate, exploring connections and stories of people, places, and things.  She is currently honing her craft for further exhibition, teaching in Canada, and travelling the world in search of inspiration.

 

Education

    • Florence Academy of Art, New York and Sweden, three-year accredited diploma in drawing and painting.

    • Workshop with artist, Britta Noresten

    • Workshop with artist, Amaya Gurpide

    • Workshop with artist, Cornelia Hernes

    • Workshop with artist, Martinho Correia

    • Central Memorial High School Advanced Placement Visual Arts Program, graduated with honors

Exhibitions

    • Paper/Mirror/Paper, self-portraits from Florence Academy Alumni, Florence, Italy

    • 6×9 Mystery Art Sale, The Portrait Society of America

    • Beyond the Prize, Mall Galleries, London England

    • New Members Invitational, Salmagundi Club, New York

    • Annual Members Show, Salmagundi Club, New York

    • Into the Night: Nocturnes, Salmagnudi Club, New York

    • Annual Thumb Box, Salmagundi Club New York

    • Smalls for the Walls, Art Studio Hamptons Gallery, New York

    • Humans 24, Salmagundi Club, New York

    • Summer Exhibition, Passage Vincafé, Eskilstuna Sweden

    • 163rd annual exhibition, Society of Women Artists, London England

    • Spring Salon, Galleri Borgenhag Holmqvist, Eskilstuna Sweden

    • Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours 212th exhibition, Mall Galleries, London England

    • Still Life of the Century (Århundradets stilleben), Strandverkets Konsthall and Konstkapellet, Marstrand Sweden

    • Still Life, Galleri Agardh & Tornvall, Stockholm Sweden

    • Featured Artist, Central Memorial Arts Gala, Calgary Canada

    • Solo exhibition, Mona Lisa Art Salon, Calgary Canada

Work and Gallery Representation

    • Art teacher at Swinton’s Art Supply, Calgary, Canada

    • James Baird Gallery, online at Artsy

    • Art Studio Hamptons Gallery, online at Artwork Archive

    • Faculty at the Portrait Society of America 27th annual The Art of The Portrait conference as a Future Generation Guest Artist

    • Salmagundi Club Jr. scholarship member

    • Jury member for the Calgary Stampede creatuve Arts and Crafts Competition

    • Workshop teacher at Kensington Art Supply, Calgary, Canada

Awards and Acknowledgements

    • 1st Place in Under Life Size for “Penumbra” in Paper/Mirror/Paper Florence, Italy

    • 1st place for “Mokosh” in Salmagundi Club’s New Members Invitational

    • 2nd place for “Night Swim” in Salmagundi Club’s Into the Night: Nocturnes

    • Master showcase feature, International Artist Magazine’s 161st issue

    • Award for best portrait, The Portrait Society of Canada’s Miracle of the Portrait competition

    • 1st honourable mention, The Portrait Society of America’s 5th annual Future Generation Competition

    • Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours Young Artist Award

    • Scholarship for The Portrait Society of America annual portrait conference

    • Part of limited edition Figurativas catalogue

    • Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award for Visual Arts in Alberta

    • Featured artist in The Swedish Press

    • 4th quarter Illustrators of the Future honourable mention

    • Scholarship for The Portrait Society of America annual portrait conference

    • Dustin Peers memorial scholarship for Visual Arts

    • Alexander Rutherford Scholarship

    • Feature artist for Breast Cancer Supportive Care fundraiser