By David Dong, Intermediate Program Student at The Florence Academy of Art

Emma Rach-Syslak, “Penumbra”, Pastel, graphite, sanguine, and chalk, 14 x 11 in. 2025

Just as the weather started to warm up, The Florence Academy of Art welcomed alumna Emma Rach-Syslak for a special two-week residency. Emma was invited to Florence as a part of the award she received from winning the “Beyond Florence Alumni” category in the Paper Mirror Paper self-portraiture exhibition last May. 

During her time at the FAA, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Emma to chat about her experience at the Academy. After graduating from FAA Sweden, Emma began pursuing her own artistic practice, setting up her studios in both Sweden and her home in Canada.

“I’m trying to focus a lot more on personal projects, and I’ve been doing a lot of commissions. I think it’s really important to start to focus more inwardly and think about what I like and start developing my own art. Which is why this residency has been so cool, because coming here, I can actually have time with a live model, and I feel like I’m getting better in a short amount of time, like when I was a student, which is so excellent. So [the residency] kind of fosters both — having live model time and then taking what I’ve learned here and then bringing it back to my own studio is really, really excellent.” 

Emma at work in a studio at the FAA Florence Campus during her Residency

She explained how the idea of being resilient against initial failures and cherishing small progress as victories inspired her to create her competition-winning self-portrait.

“I didn’t like the self-portrait that I did at first, but I realized it was not terrible. My face was covered in shadow, but there was a bit of light. The whole point was about these little things that keep you going, or these little wins when there’s massive failure—a huge mass of darkness is always looming, because you know you’re going to fail. But that’s part of learning, of course. The light is what keeps driving you forward. It is those tiny little wins. Maybe you get featured in a magazine, or you get an honorable mention in a competition. These are the things that just push you one step further as an artist.”

Emma at work on a painting from life in the studio at the FAA, Florence, during her residency

A figure painting completed by Emma during her residency

Emma began studying at The Florence Academy of Art in New Jersey in 2019 and finished her studies at the Sweden Campus in Mölndal.

“I think growing up, I was always a creative kid. I bet a lot of people here at the Academy can say that—like you were always the art kid and you were the best in your art class. But then you move on [from high school] and everyone asks, what is this kid gonna do? So that was me in high school.

Figure studies completed by Emma in the Advanced Painting Model room during her residency

“And then I got really into portraiture. I’ve always really enjoyed it, and I did a big project of portraits in high school. And then afterwards, I was actually going to go to a Contemporary Fine Arts University. I had the deposit paid, but then I did a workshop with a graduate of Angel Academy in Florence. He saw my work, looked at my mom and said, “She needs to go to an atelier.” So I’m very thankful to him because he pivoted my whole life and changed my entire art career. After that, I took a workshop with Cornelia Hernes at the Florence Academy in New Jersey because it was the closest Florence Academy campus to home at that time. New Jersey was not incredibly far away—about 4 hours by plane rather than 8. So I started studying full-time at the New Jersey campus after taking that workshop. I just absolutely loved it.”

Emma in an evening drawing class at the FAA, Florence

What makes Emma’s experience especially unique is that she has now had the chance to experience all three FAA campuses: New Jersey, Sweden, and Florence. When asked to share a bit about her diverse experiences, Emma made an interesting observation about how the city itself influences students’ work.

A portrait painting by Emma, completed during her residency

“When you’re in Florence, you have this hub of art and just all this history, and you can go and see these amazing museums. The paintings that you’re surrounded by, even subconsciously, have an effect on your art. If you’re looking at something every day, it’s going to creep in eventually. When you look at Sweden, it’s also very traditional. But even during the Renaissance, it was a little more Nordic and contemporary. Their design language as a whole looks more simplistic. So that’s why I think the style [between the campuses] is different as well. I think it’s the art you’re surrounded by, the teacher’s style, what you want to strive for, and the people around you that all influence each other.”

A portrait drawing made by Emma in one of the Advanced Painting studios

Emma’s path is one that many students graduating from the Academy will eventually take. She encouraged the community to “keep your creativity and keep going after school—you can stay on this path and have this creative momentum” to fuel your artistic journey. As a school, we are here to celebrate the success of every member of the FAA Alumni Community; meanwhile, we also work to equip every student with the tools to tackle their own paths.

More about Emma:

Born in 2001 in Calgary, Canada, Emma Rach-Syslak is an up-and-coming fine artist specializing in still life and portraiture. At the age of 24 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 she 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.

To view more of Emma’s work, please visit:

Website: www.emmarachsyslak.com
Instagram: @emmaersart