About the Artist
PART-TIME ARTIST, FULL-TIME ENGINEER
Emily Lightstone is a Toronto-based engineer-in-training who uses her painting as a creative outlet from the structure of consulting work.
Emily has been oil painting since she was 12 years old when she began taking art lessons at Studio Pavas in Mississauga, Ontario. She trained there for 6 years until graduating high school and moving away to pursue her post-secondary education.
In 2017, Emily graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering & Society degree from McMaster University, followed by a Master of Civil Engineering degree from University of Toronto in 2019. Art took a backseat during university as she explored other interests and opportunities, but after graduating she felt like she was missing an important part of her life that had been neglected during her formal education.
Emily now balances a career as a full-time water resources engineer with her part-time painting work. She continues to work primarily with oil paints, but has recently delved into acrylics and watercolors as well.
The main source of inspiration for her work comes from her explorations in nature, focusing heavily on landscape vistas. Emily takes photographs from her travels to various locations, including Muskoka, Newfoundland, France, and at home in Toronto, recreating them on canvas to create a one-of-a-kind preservation of memory.