Every year for the last three years I've selected a word for the New Year. I do this, largely, in lieu of New Year's resolutions which seem a little too absolute for me to follow up on with success. Some people create or follow a thorough process to discover this for themselves. They ask a lot of important questions, dig a little deeper, and land on something that will really serve them throughout the coming year. For me it is much more intuitive and gut centered process. I think about where I'm at, what I want, and what word might... Continue reading

Well, here we are at the end of the year - and I can't really figure out where the rest of summer and all of the fall went. It has been very full of life and painting and work and travel and family and all kinds of things. And then the blog kind of falls by the wayside despite tons of work going on all the time. And some stress and deeply felt loss have been in the mix as well. Oh and there's a been a cat in there from time to time too. I've been trying out new... Continue reading

I know that I've shared tidbits about the fact that I was recently commissioned by one of my oldest friends to create artwork for a new children's clinic she was starting. Pilar is a wonderful caring and loving person, a kick-butt pediatrician, and an amazing violinist to boot. And after seeing some gift cards I gave her she asked me if I would be willing to create artwork for a new clinic focused on positive behavior and family therapy for kids and families. The name of the clinic is Thrive. And the tag line is "Cultivating Positive Growth." The story... Continue reading

Oh my there's been a long gap between posts! Which means it's been a lovely summer-ful last several weeks. So I thought I'd just share a little of what's been up - and add more detail later. It's been hot, long, and very dry - but the garden is bursting with vegetables and color now! I love the warm weather and all that it brings in this part of the world And there's been artwork! I finished my collection of work for the Thrive Clinic in Eugene in July - here are a couple of snippets. It was such fulfilling... Continue reading

Well, summer is off to a lovely if not very busy start around these parts. Kids are out of school, the sun is shining, and the weather is positively perfect. Perfect for running and hiking, perfect for gardening, and perfect for painting outside. I've beat back the garden in lots of places, but also been steadily working on my commission from the Thrive Clinic here in Eugene. I've made a lot of progress! And it's been so much fun trying out some different ideas, threading some consistent themes, and creating a collection that works beautifully together. This is a four... Continue reading

Well, spring - if not summer - has sprung! I feel like I've been sprinting ever since returning from my Parisian vacation which has left little time for a blog post here or there. We've had a ton of kids sporting activities, my work life is wildly busy, the garden is growing...and there's only so much time in a week or a day. Despite all this, I've been painting, drawing and sketching A LOT. Which is great - and some running has been squeezed in at lunch time when I can. After my trip to Paris I was lucky enough... Continue reading

As many of you may have noticed on Facebook, I have spent the last two weeks in Paris for the second time in two years. Wow. I am lucky enough to have a mother from France who wanted to bring each of my girls to Paris when they were about 10. So we did it two years ago with the first, and this year with the second. And oh my word, it was such a wonderful trip! And a much needed vacation from the grind of work and daily life around here that was kind of building up to a... Continue reading

With this post I thought I'd delve a little into some of my vulnerabilities around my artwork. Particularly around a new experience I've had lately - that of Commissioned Work. Notice the Capital Letters. Yeah - it's a little weighty for me. When my show at Oakshire closed at the end of November, I had a three people ask me to do some work that was similar to a particular piece they'd seen at the show. In my enthusiasm and in the spirit of good customer and art service, I said 'Sure!'. (translation - 'TAKE'!) But it turned out to... Continue reading

I was in a three day work training this week with a lot of sitting and listening. Which usually means I do a lot of drawing and sketching - and I did. It was a hard training in a lot of respects, so the sketching was really therapeutic. I did a lot of exploring of new designs and ideas. I had signed up for Jessica Swift's Pattern Camp that ran over the weekend, so it was really great get some ideas going about patterns I could make with my images. Think fabric, pillows, journal covers, fun things like that. I've... Continue reading

My daughter asked me to sit down with her and make Valentines this weekend. Who could say no? I love this time of year when I can just bliss out on creative randomness in the name of expressing the appreciation of friendship to others. I made a few traditional looking heart - cards. And then I found this awesome yellow-ocher circle paper in my collection of goodies. I made one card. And another. And before I knew it I had four. So I thought I'd make a fifth to round it out. And then I had this really cool collection... Continue reading

So in 2014 I did this thing in January where I picked a word for the year. Lots of people on my creative radar seem to do this. I don't know why - but it's interesting and can kind of mean whatever you want. Maybe it's an intention, an aspiration, a way of being. Whatever. You can kind of do what you like with it - and I decided to try it out. Last year's word was Muse. (my sister sent me this beautiful feather by Rachael Rice to remind me.) I was hoping it would just kind of float... Continue reading

It's been a bit quiet around these blog parts lately - and that's because 2015 just seemed to start off with a bang and I've been running ever since. Happily - it hasn't been in circles - at least too much. Mostly straight lines. But now that my kids are bigger, when I sign them up for sports? Well, we spend A LOT more time in basketball gyms now than we did last year. Which is excellent for knitting and things. And it's wonderful to see them playing (which I never did myself - more on that later maybe.) But... Continue reading

Well, here we go. It's 2015 and I'm off to a third year of blogging about art, cooking, gardening and whatever else is going on. I've been away in December this year - such a crazy time that it felt overwhelming to be focused enough to blog. But I'm back and I made a lot of fun presents and custom art work over the month - so here's a little sampling. First I had a day-long work retreat and spent the day listening and chatting - and doodling of course. I've been experimenting with some new black and white pens... Continue reading

Well, I have to say that I've been completely and delightfully surprised by the wonderful response to my show this month at the Oakshire Brew Pub! I SOLD 10 of the 15 pieces that I showed and I couldn't be happier and more grateful. And the response by my friends, acquaintences and even people I don't know at all has been so encouraging. Lucky me, I've met so many friends and others at Oakshire this month for them to look at my work, catch up on each other's worlds, and be jolly in general. The show resulted in a ton... Continue reading

I don't know if you remember, but last year I made a whole bunch of these advent calendars. They were so much fun - and I definitely have some leftover from last year. The drawings inside were especially fun to come up with. But then this year I realized that I could probably have a real product out there if I did my own front covers as well. So I went to work on some artwork and hand lettering for the fronts. This was the first one - snowy and wintery - but with lots of movement as usual. And... Continue reading

Well friends - it's here! Next Friday evening my very first art show will open at the Oakshire Public House here in Eugene. Here are the deets from the poster that the Oakshire folks made for me! And then there were the postcards they printed up as well - so lovely ~ I'm feeling pretty darn lucky right about now. Oh and maybe just a wee bit anxious that all will be done in time. I've been madly putting hangers on the back of everything. And signing the bottoms, painting the sides - all these little details that I often... Continue reading

Oh gosh it's been a busy fall! And there's so much to share. But I'll keep it short this time with just a few highlights. First, I'm off for two weekends in a row to play in other places in Oregon with my girlfriend and then my sister. I'm excited to get out and see new things, reflect, reconnect, draw, meditate and laugh a lot. In the meantime, I've updated the Etsy shop with a new line of necklaces that I'm really happy with. And I'm putting on the finishing touches on several paintings set to go up at the... Continue reading

It's been a bit crazy in these parts what with school starting, food exploding out of the garden and summer winding down. I've been lucky enough, though, to be able to take a few trips out to the coast over the last few weeks, so I thought I'd jump back into the blogosphere with this shot. Of course, I love the idea that you can just drop in a quarter and you'll see something up close that seems so far away... a boat, a whale, whatever... and that you'd have a new Point of View. It seems old fashioned and... Continue reading

As usual, in the summer, my painting days have been a bit sporadic, but when I've had moments they have been so enjoyable. And I continue to be delighted by what the process reveals on canvas and in my head as bits and pieces of thoughts that might not otherwise be joined are connected. I'm really starting to feel like I'm getting to understand the medium I like best - these amazing Dale-Rowney FW Acrylic Inks. And that old adage about practice? Well, I'm all about the practice part - maybe not so much the perfect part - but the... Continue reading

We've been having a busy summer of visitors and swimming and gardening - and I've been working steadily on cleaning up and cleaning out all kinds of areas in the house. And there's been time for artwork in the mix too, but one of the things I like to do best in summer is take a few minues and photograph the garden. It is in full bloom and food production right about now, with a lot more to come. Giant squash. Crunchy kale. Delicate and vibrant color. Seed pods and berries. Orange, blue, pink, yellow. And there's been a lot... Continue reading

I had a dear friend retire from work a few months ago. And, of course, a retirement party was in order! One of the organizers said "hey Emily, could you do some decorations? I'll bring the stuff." And I thought "oh gosh, well I don't know, and .... DUH YES PLEASE!" It was so much fun. She brought all kinds of fun supplies for the garden themed party. She said "can you do these kinds of banners? And I said "sure!" and put together these: She said "could you put together a card gathering box? - like this maybe?" And... Continue reading

I've been making a lot of lists lately. Ok, I've always been a list maker - but they seem much more present of late... It is one way to sort of feel sane in when things seem chaotic and out of control for me. It doesn't necessarily matter if the items get checked off - the list mostly helps to remind me of what is and so all the things don't swirl around and harrass me in my brain. I have recently begun to title them "What to do" as opposed to just To-Do list. It helps me just answer... Continue reading

Well it has been a blog-a-sphere dog's age since I dropped into this space, so I thought I'd take a post to tell you what all has been going on for me in these parts. About the time I stopped blogging, I decided I needed a serious goal - like a personal fitness goal - to stay healthy and sane. So I decided to train for the biggest 10K of the year around here - the Butte to Butte on July 4th. I started running a lot. At least for me - like 20-25 miles a week. And my runs... Continue reading

There was a 50% off sale on oversized canvas last month. Well, ok, just canvas. But I got inspired and bought some BIG ones. 30" x 40" 12" x 40" 24" x 40" And oh my...this has been good. It is so much fun to fill such a big canvas with so much color! But also try to remember to leave some space so the painting can breathe. I've enjoyed having lots of room to move too and being able to paint with somewhat of wild abandon. And if I didn't know where to start - I'd just jump in... Continue reading

I had a fabulous Mother's Day Sunday - the weather was wonderful and I got to do all the things I love most. First of all, I have to say that I'm so honored to be the mom of two of the most adorable and wonderful children. They are growing up beautifully and lucky me - I'm their mama!! It is at once hilarious, hard, humbling, joyous, inspiring and unbelievably fulfilling. I am truly grateful... And I got to paint, go on a long run, work in the garden a little, and just be lazy. LOVE~! In the meantime, I... Continue reading