How Memory and Identity Shape the Way They Create | Cecilia Lopez, Forest Aliya, and Emma Francis
What happens when women pick up the brush, the camera, the thread, or the torch—and use it to tell the truth of their lives? Over the past few weeks, we’ve had the privilege of hearing from three remarkable artists: Cecilia Lopez, Forest Aliya, and Emma Francis. Their work spans continents and mediums, but what binds them is their raw honesty, courage, and deep connection to identity.
In our conversations, they didn’t just talk about their techniques or favorite materials—they opened up about what it means to be a woman in art today. They shared stories of cultural displacement, personal transformation, childhood memories, illness, and healing. Through their work, they revisit the past, examine the present, and imagine more liberated futures—not just for themselves, but for those who see, feel, and are moved by their creations.
Their journeys remind us that art is not always about perfection or aesthetics. It’s about truth-telling. It’s about reclaiming space. And most of all, it’s about coming home to yourself.
Cecilia Lopez: Painting a Love Song to Mexican Roots and Motherhood
Cecilia Lopez, known in the art world as Ceciloel, is a Mexican visual artist and designer whose work bursts with the unapologetic boldness of Mexican traditions. Trained in Industrial Design and holding a PhD in Sustainable Architecture, Cecilia’s academic and professional background is steeped in structure and innovation. Yet her art offers a more intimate, expressive escape—one that leans into emotion, memory, and cultural pride.
Born and raised in Mexico, Cecilia’s art is steeped in her heritage, drawing on the vibrant motifs of Día de los Muertos, the intricate patterns of Talavera Poblana ceramics, and the vivid colors of traditional textiles. Her paintings—like “Azul Talavera” (2024)—are visual symphonies that celebrate bold strokes, mesmerizing patterns, and the spiritual richness of her roots.
Her creative journey, however, is not linear. In 2020, at the height of her budding art career, Cecilia stepped away from her studio to embrace motherhood. “That same year, I welcomed my greatest creation, a baby boy who became the biggest project of my life,” she shares. The transition was not without sacrifice, but it also enriched her artistic vision. By 2023, she returned to painting with renewed inspiration—this time, channeling the dualities of home and displacement, joy and exhaustion, tradition and reinvention.
In her process, Cecilia blends realism and stylization, often using acrylics, watercolors, ink, and digital tools. Her art is, as she describes, “a fusion of nature’s splendor, playful designs, and a sprinkle of cultural magic.” It’s a visual love song to both her homeland and her evolving self.
I like to think that my work evolved into a love song to my roots, inspired by the lavish of mesmerizing patterns and breathtaking hues.
To learn more about Cecilia, click on the links below.
Emma Francis: Painting Through Emotional Apocalypse
In the emotionally charged figurative paintings of Emma Francis, chaos finds expression, and vulnerability becomes a radical act. Originally from Vancouver and now based in Montreal, Emma uses her personal experiences with mental health, trauma, and queerness to explore what she calls “emotional apocalypse”—moments where inner turmoil collides with the external world.
Her artistic path began in hardship. “Mental illness, addiction, abuse, and death overshadowed any ambitions I had until I was in my mid-twenties,” she recalls. Weekly therapy and art school became lifelines. After receiving a diploma from Langara College and a BFA from Concordia University, Emma began developing a style that is as expressive as it is raw.
Her practice blurs the line between realism and the surreal. Working from digital collages made of found photographs, Emma transforms fragmented images into emotionally charged compositions. These figures are often distorted, layered, and symbolic—reflecting shifting states of identity, power, and sanity.
Her 2024 painting “No Matter How it Ends, No Matter How it Started” encapsulates this aesthetic: a deeply intimate, confessional piece that also feels universal. Emma’s work refuses to sanitize pain; instead, it reclaims it as a site of meaning and transformation. “I’ve realized that loneliness is much worse than rejection,” she says. “The process—not the result—is where purpose is found.”
Emma’s work has been included in exhibitions like Endless Dreams curated by Artsin Square, and published in I Like Your Work and Art to Hearts’ Studio Visit Book. Her paintings are charged with mood and symbolism, offering viewers a space to confront and reflect on their own emotional landscapes.
As a painter I lean toward the expressive and surreal, blurring the line between internal psychological landscapes and our embodied existence.
To learn more about Emma, visit the links below.
Forest Aliya: Weaving Color and Sound into Healing Abstract Worlds
For Forest Aliya, art is not only visual—it’s synesthetic. Based in Nevada City, California, this abstract painter and soundscape artist experiences a profound crossover between sound and color, allowing her to hear hues and see melodies. Her work captures more than just aesthetic beauty—it expresses emotional depth, spiritual presence, and universal interconnectedness.
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1970, Forest has been drawn to colors and artistic expression since childhood. “I was born an artist,” she reflects. “I love looking at other people’s work and figuring out the process, but my inspiration comes from within.” After earning her MFA from Pacific Northwest College of the Arts in 2019, she expanded her practice to include sound healing, receiving a certificate in Holographic Sound Healing in 2021. This dual focus—on visual and auditory art—forms the core of her distinctive work.
Forest’s abstract compositions feature mushrooms, plant life, moon cycles, animals, and human figures. They’re not just images—they are portals. Her paintings and accompanying soundscapes open space for reflection, healing, and connection. Through vibrant palettes and fluid movement, she invites viewers into an inner world where peace, transformation, and abundance coexist.
Her work has been exhibited in major cities like San Francisco, New York, and Santa Fe, and her murals brighten public spaces in California. Her pieces are included in collections as far away as Cape Town, South Africa, and as close as her own hometown.
At its core, Forest’s practice is about presence. “Color holds narratives we can experience with the naked eye,” she explains, “while soundscapes give substance to what can’t be seen or said.” Her work encourages us to pause, listen, and feel more deeply—to see art not as a product, but as a healing process.
My compositions are not just one highlight of my experiences but many experiences in one space. When I look at my work and I have no more thoughts about it, then I know it is complete.
To learn more about Forest, click on the links below.
Cecilia Lopez, Emma Francis and Forest Aliya, may differ in style and background, but they share a powerful throughline: art as a means of survival, resistance, and revelation. Each artist has found a way to transmute personal challenges—motherhood, trauma, displacement—into works that invite connection and healing.
Through bold strokes, symphonic color, and figurative transformation, these women demonstrate that creative resilience is not just about producing art. It’s about staying present with one’s truth, honoring personal evolution, and continuing to create—even in the face of silence, struggle, or fear.
At Women in Arts, we celebrate these voices that speak with both vulnerability and strength. Their stories remind us that art is not just something we make—it’s something we live.
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