Emily Mihalik (b.1987) is an American painter with an international background. Growing up between Santa Barbara and London, her work is a testament to her appreciation of culture and place. Her current body of work is closely inspired by both her experiences as a Fulbright Research Fellow in Kazakhstan and by her deafness. For Mihalik, abstraction overcomes the barriers of language and sound. In her own words, the artist defines her work as “a dialogue between opposites. By forcing unlikely elements to converse together on the canvas, they become harmonious.” Deafness allows Mihalik to appreciate the phenomenological potential of painting. To her, paint thickness is an invitation for the viewer to physically enter the painting. Her large scale multidimensional paintings are a stimulating sight. The process of viewing these works is akin to listening to music. It does not come as a surprise that viewers express a desire to touch the paintings and describe them as being 'alive'.

Emily Mihalik has a BA in Fine Arts from Wake Forest University (NC) and currently resides in Virginia.