Emma Johnson

Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Emma Johnson has spent her life shaped by the landscape and culture of the region. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Arkansas, with a double concentration in Painting and Sculpture. Her practice is deeply personal experience, grounded in place, and driven by a desire to create moments of stillness and emotional resonance.

Artist Statement

My work explores perception and the subtle ways our individual experiences shape how we see and feel the world around us. Through both painting and sculpture, I aim to create moments that pause the viewer’s routine—using light, color, and form to evoke emotion before recognition. These pieces offer quiet invitations to reconnect with presence, to feel something before trying to define it. I feel that existence today is relentlessly fast paced. We rush, stress, and try to find time to pause—whatever that means to each of us. But the moments that seem to quiet it all are often the small ones: when I’m hurrying to my car and the sunlight catches a tree just right. One leaf glows gold, the breeze is cool, and I take a deep breath. Then I move on. That pause—that fleeting stillness—is what I hope to offer through my work. Each piece attempts to hold that space of quiet wonder, in a way that speaks uniquely to each viewer’s own perception.