Emily Goff’s paintings draw inspiration from natural materials and landscapes encountered on mountain hikes above Los Angeles, during travels far from home, and even in her kitchen. Her work moves beyond observation to explore the spiritual and emotional dimensions of contemporary American life through nature and symbolism. Using shifting perspectives, from skewed aerial views to upward gazes, her mixed-media abstractions reflect both present-day challenges and timeless themes of fragility and strength, isolation and community, loss and hope. Garlic skins and other organic materials, ephemeral by nature, gain surprising durability when incorporated into exterior mural materials. Natural elements, often overlooked or discarded, carry quiet beauty and memory, while Japanese paper, renowned for both its delicacy and strength, embodies this balance between fragility and resilience.

Goff earned a B.A. in Studio Art from UC Santa Barbara and dedicated much of her career to teaching art to high school students. A recipient of multiple awards and grants for her teaching and community based mural programs, she now works from her Los Angeles studio and exhibits throughout Southern California.