Q & A!

Well hello lovelies!  A couple weeks ago I posted a few questions on the Facebook page for you, some of which were wondering if there were any questions you had for me.  You came back with some very interesting questions, so I thought I would take a stab at answering them!

Here we go! 

Michael asks, "How do your goals align with or deter from military life?"  

Fabulous question!  For those of you who don't already know this, I am married to a delicious military man.  This means that we move around the planet every 2-4 years, with little warning or clue as to where we are going.  Fortunately, this lifestyle suits our personalities very well.  We love to travel obviously, so having a new hub to journey from every so often is fabulous.  Business-wise, it is very beneficial in many ways.  The frequent travel is constantly inspiring my work and life.  The constant turnover in the military population as people move here and move away keeps the market fresh and ever changing.  And every time we get moved, I am able to build my network, resources and breadth of opportunities even more.   

Every location has its varying pros and cons of course.  For example, in England, we are out in the middle of nowhere in farmland and forests.  While it doesn't allow me much opportunity for face time with the local population, it is AMAZING for the scenery and frolicking through nature.  So, to directly answer the question, my current goals align wonderfully with military life.  :) 

Andelyn asks, "Would you ever offer classes or lessons on your techniques?" and "What is your favorite form of art that you create?"

I've thought about this many times! I have done private lessons with adults in the past, and it was fabulous and has led to some lifelong friendships.  I have also done private lessons with children, and that doesn't fit very well for me.  I've thought about teaching adult classes on basic techniques, perhaps in one of those BYOB settings, but the stars haven't aligned yet in that department.  Eventually!

As for my favorite form of art to create, I believe it will always be my first love which is acrylic on canvas.  The possibilities are endless with it, and the gratification and calm that comes with the application of endless layers of paint to create something that is new and a piece of myself is unmatched.  :)

Mei Lin says, "I am very interested in learning about how you make your trees and elephants. Also--how you get the colors to be almost "water-color" design."  

This is a hard one!  I suppose they could both be answered with, 'lots and lots of layering!'   I've had many other people make the observation that my acrylics often take on a 'watercolor feel'.  This isn't something I do intentionally, so I'm not quite sure how to answer!  I use a lot of water when I paint, for smoothing, blending, glazing, layering, etc. so perhaps my pigments become so liquefied that they take on that appearance on their own! :) 

Many have asked about the different places that I've traveled and how they have influenced my art.  This could be a whole blog post on its own!  But here is a list off the top of my head, and the first thing that comes to mind that inspired my work while there. If you click on the country, you can also read the post on that location!

Ireland - GREEN, rolling hills, the Cliffs of Moher (nearly all the 2009 posts are about my summer spent in Ireland, so feel free to browse the archives!)

Grand Cayman Islands - the flora. There are some incredible species of flowers and plants on this island, that I had never seen before. Apparently I didn't blog about this trip for some reason...

Netherlands - Amsterdam is the happiest place on earth. The architecture is beautiful and distinct, the tulip fields are epic, and the Keukenhof Gardens will inspire my work for life.

Canary Islands - this trip involved eating Paella and drinking sangria and laying by the pool, so I don't have much from this one lol.

Belgium - classy, elegant, refined and relaxed was Belgium. I think of glass and wrought iron ceilings, lamp posts and cobblestone.

Scotland - Mmmmm Edinburgh.  My absolute favorite skyline thus far.  The spires, the architecture, the castles.  The kindness of the people and the deliciousness of the accent, the haggis, the scotch, the kilts...it is like a fairyland. Love me some Scotland.

France - the Provencial countryside is unlike any other.  The trees really do look like a Van Gogh painting.

Greece - the white washed buildings and blue domes of Santorini are of course very distinctive. The view over the caldera from above is epic.  The lushness and super smooth stone streets of Corfu are lovely.

Italy - too much to reference here! The sea, the caves, the ruins, the architecture, VENICE, the list goes on.

Croatia - such a peaceful and calmly beautiful place.  The sea blends with the sky. The castles on the cliffs, the islands all up and down the coast. Love.

Norway - the motherland. The Norwegian Fjords are one of the earth's most incredible occurrences.  Words cannot describe the scale and magnitude of these natural formations. Not to mention the landscape beyond the fjords.  The mountains rocket toward the sky, the lush green hills make me want to run and sing and cry, the flora, the harbors, the architecture. It is all amazing.

Denmark - Copenhagen is rad and very chill, and has a lovely botanical garden.  We didn't get to see much there, it was just an overnight!

Germany - Bavariaaaaaaa! The Alps. No explanation necessary.

Spain - Gaudi's work and influence on Barcelona's architecture and public art is very distinctive and beautiful.  Barcelona is huge, there is so much to see and it is beautiful.

Canada - west coast, Vancouver area, so green and beautiful.

Montana - the homeland! Glacier National Park, the Rockies, that is what I grew up in. I'm spoiled and my standards of natural surroundings are very high as a result :)

Washington - living in Seattle was amazing.  I LOVE that city.  The Olympics, the Cascades, the Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, all within a short drive.  If it didn't cost a billion dollars to live up there, I would love to again :)

Arizona - Phoenix was a dirty hell hole, but head up north to Sedona and serenity will return.  The red rocks, the rivers, the luscious sunrises and sunsets, and the art community is very strong there.

Phew! That was an interesting recap!  Thank you for that question, it was really cool to run through what I have taken from each place inspirationally :)

And finally, I am frequently asked about my silk painting technique and process.  I would have a hard time conveying that in just words, so I'm working on putting together a photo or video tutorial on this very topic in the near future!  I would love input on this from you! What would you like to see specifically? What would you like to know?

I love to hear from you! I love answering your questions and hearing what you think!  Is there anything you would like to ask me?  Fire away!

With gratitude,

Emily :)