Born in Redding California, Elizabeth Lahey was raised in Willows CA. Upon graduating university with a degree in theater, she moved to New York City, where she choreographed and performed dance for seven years. During this time, she worked at the Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation developing the Cunningham Dance video archive and studied graphic design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Lahey’s unique collage works: Fortunes & Charms, were accepted by the Guggenheim Art Museum curatorial staff for inclusion and sale at the Guggenheim Museum Store. Over a twenty-five-year career as a book designer, she designed and typeset hundreds of books, including titles for Pulitzer prize winning authors and publishers.
Since the early 2000s, Ema has studied sacred art painting in depth with Tibetan artist Tenzing Rigdol and others. In 2022, after four decades living in major urban centers—New York City, Denver, and Cleveland—she returned to her roots in rural Northern California, establishing Sönam Studio in Lake County, where she lives with her husband, Frederic. There, she paints, designs collage and artist’s books, and teaches meditation. Her fine art is included in local and international private collections.
