Meet Diego Emanuel Loya | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Diego Emanuel Loya and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Diego Emanuel, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve always been drawn to art and creativity. Every time there was a creative path available I would take it even when it meant more work. When choosing a career path it wasn’t always black and white, but I knew I wanted it to do something in the art field. I started with a Graphic Design and Photography associates degree, and wanted to continue with a bachelors concentrated in graphic design. Instead I chose the fine art route. I got my bachelors from the University of Texas at Tyler, and my MFA at Alfred University. Every challenge and experience along the way helped me understand that I was in the right place. Even though art is not always seen as a very profitable career it holds a very important position in our society and our life as human beings. Art is expressive, representative, informative, revolutionary, and magical if you allow it to be. As an individual that thrives through diversity I enjoy being an artist with the flexibility to work in multiple mediums and even various fields. Making art is in my DNA, even outside the studio I find the way to create with meaning. Being able to use my hands to conceptualice the struggle and celebrations of being immigrant in this country bring be the highest honor.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art work is most of the time focused around community. A big topic that is seen repeatedly in my work is Immigration. Although I my self am not an immigrant, people who I love and are very close to me are. Growing up in an immigrant household really sets things in perspective for me early on. I try to use my voice to share the hardships and setbacks many people face that are not always understood or talked about. I strive to express my creations in a soft and poetic way. Although each piece varies because of material or expression, they all tend to have a grounding/humbling sense to them. It makes me proud to say I am a Mexican-American who values his roots and black ground, and wants to share that love with the world. My art career was not really a walk in the park, nothing this fruitful is ever that easy. The challenges came with lessons and those lessons brought strength. Many people would ask if I would draw or paint all day since I was pursuing an art career, and the reality is there’s a lot more to making art. Being an artist takes work and dedication. Creating the work is not as simple as walking in to the studio and just making. Many pieces take time, research, trials and test to get where you want them to be. Even then each piece always teaches me something new, I become reactive to the process and learn with each step. Every piece of art has a depth of meaning to it, I offer my end through experience and knowledge to connect with the viewer. And I do it in a subtle way to make it approachable to the spectator. I don’t want to force feed you how I feel or what I think, instead I like to see my work as an opportunity to connect with those who are willing to take the time to view and experience what I have in store for them.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I really enjoy visitors, and sharing quality time with loved ones. Any time I have someone visiting I will for sure cook for them or with them. Cooking is something I really enjoy and other than having good food the quality time spent in the process is always enjoyed. One of my favorite things to make is dumplings that I initially learned with my Chinese friend Jiayi. Another staple is tacos, I love tacos and so do my friends. I make some pretty good flour tortillas and some tasty spicy salsa. As much as I love to cook I also enjoy catching a break from it. We will definitely need to visit Chilangos Tacos in Dallas or Frisco. The Dallas location has home made corn tortillas and the place feels reminiscent of home. But if we decide to visit the Frisco location in Legacy hall we will definitely have more restaurants and drinks options, great to enjoy indoor our outdoor in their cozy patio. Speaking of outdoors I also love enjoying a nice walk or hike when possible, so next up would be Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano. This place has many trails and fun views that disconnect you from the city buzz a little bit. While in the north Dallas area I gotta recommend Detour Donuts in Frisco, a great small business with original tasting sweets! Another day we will definitely need to visit the art Museums in downtown Dallas. A great start would be with the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Museum and the Crow Museum of Art. They are all located next to each so it’s within walking distance. After a day filled with art we will for sure need a good meal to talk it all over. Just down the road there’s a really tasty Indian restaurant called Shiva’s Bar and Grill, their curry is one of the best I’ve had in the area. I also enjoy visiting the Carrollton area for dinner. There’s a place called Ari Korean BBQ that is very filling and has great drinks! There are many things to do in Dallas and it’s surroundings. Downtown Dallas is packed with restaurants and things to do, simply a walk around will be exciting and full of opportunities. Near downtown you also have Deep Ellum to explore. One of my favorite spots here is Serios Pizza, seriously one of the best. Overall there’s several places to choose from but with good company they are always enjoyed even more!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I definitely can’t go without thanking my family, They have always been very supportive and present in my Artistic career. Their love and effort to help me through many rough times has given me motivation and empowerment to be the best I can be. I also want to thank my Mentors Jim Pace and Diane Cox. They both helped tremendously in different stages of my career. If it wasn’t for their guidance and constructive challenges I would not be the artist I am today. And a last group I would love to thank is my Alfred Fam, my cohort. We have built a very special lifelong relationship. Having a strong support system is important in everybody’s life and I’m thankful to have them in mine.

Instagram: @diegoemanuelloya

Linkedin: Diegoloya7@yahoo.com