Emily Avaritt is an American artist born in Toledo, Ohio and currently living in Chicago, IL. Emily graduated from Bowling Green State University with a BFA in Studio Art in May 2021. Her practice is centered in portrait painting, although she gathers much of her inspiration from nature. She predominantly works in acrylic and gouache paint, attracted by the vibrancy of the paint. Emily also works with oil paint and graphite, but continues to experiment with other media. Current paintings explore themes of ephemeral beauty, mortality, self-reflection, nostalgia and the intimacy of creating. These concepts come from her lifelong interest in Renaissance paintings and the intricacy of symbolism often attributed to works of this time period. The process and research element that goes into her works, such as the language of flowers, are just as important as the final product, indicated by the careful layering of exaggerated colors often seen in her paintings.