Born in El Salvador and raised in Los Angeles, Emiliana Henriquez can’t recall a time when drawing wasn’t a part of her life. Encouraged by her father, she always dreamed of being an artist, though it wasn’t until early 2021 that she made the intentional choice to pursue this path professionally. “I had been painting all my life, but that year, I became a lot more focused on what I wanted,” she says. “Not long after, I had my first group show, and everything snowballed from there—it felt like a confirmation that I was on the right path.”

In her mesmerizing paintings, Emiliana brings forth scenes and atmospheres that echo universal human experiences. “Most of my works are about the links that connect us, and concepts like the subconscious or dream symbolism are often present,” she explains. Unafraid to create autobiographical pieces, many of her paintings reflect her perspectives as a woman of color. For instance, spurred by a recent trip to Egypt, she spent much of her time at Fountainhead exploring her experiences with travel and contemplating the metamorphosis of the self when immersed in foreign cultures. 

Ethereal color palettes are a prominent element of Emiliana’s compositions. Her canvases are usually bathed in mesmerizing lime, amber, or ruby red auras, affording a hypnotic quality to her works. “I’m very drawn to using color in the same way that you would use narrative storytelling within cinema,” she explains. “Color has become an aid to emphasize a character or an environment, or just to create a mood.” 

Inspired by her Fountainhead studio mates, Emiliana hopes to bring more in-depth research into her artistic practice moving forward. “[Octavio and Sarah] really nurtured my stay,” she recalled. “I think I could’ve stayed inside the entire time with them, and the residency would’ve been just as enriching.”