saturate / sat·u·rate (sāch’ə-rāt’) / to soak, fill, or load to capacity.

blessed, fortunate, deserving … spoiled … whatever you want to call it, that’s how i feel. this year has been a rewarding one. after chewing through several of life’s obstacles these past few years, many prayers have been answered. not so much a simple “dream come true” but a fulfilling feeling of working hard and being rewarded. certain things play out as they’re supposed to, and we often have little control – what a relief.

in late august, my manfriend and i set out for an adventure through the west. through heaven on earth. along with the intentions of vacating, the trip included art projects, familial introductions, bonfire jigs and deeper integration of hearts. wyoming was new to me. andrew put it well, “emily, it’ll give you big eyes.” and he was right. if anyone wants to donate a ranch (a meek one would do just fine) in jackson hole, wy, please email me asap.

a huge part of visiting jackson hole, sedona, santa fe, etc, was to talk with gallery owners. i got some good feedback and will definitely be selling fishing fly illustrations at a location in jackson hole. now, if a gallery or two will just have my artwork, that would be amazing. working on that.

enjoy the photos from this journey:

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still dreaming …

big country - on the back roads of new mexico (no photoshop involved. all of these photos are naturally amazing.)

beautiful sedona.

red dirt.

returning from my first road trip across the southwest (from california through nevada, arizona, new mexico, on to arkansas), i realize i came home with a creative stimulus package. i am in total and complete love with arizona and new mexico. this deep and longing crush on both is turning into an amorous heartache. i have to go back. it correlates with visuals & emotion i’ve been trying to convey but is something new and so different. my imagery – at times, it’s more than just guns and dirt. here and there, i’ve felt certain parts of my artwork are lacking the depth i’m looking for … and there’s something out there that fills that void. now i just have to figure out how to tap into it. i feel very lucky to have been able to experience the sw. it made me feel small but invigorated. no artwork can do it justice. but how generous a land to inspire so many.

at one point in new mexico we were completely isolated on a back road. i stood outside the car and tried to become as saturated with my surroundings as possible, putting emotions in every pocket to make sure i brought as much of it home with me as i could. i’m already trying to figure out how to spend more time there.

before now, georgia o’keeffe didn’t effect me one way or the other. i loved that she was an influential female artist, but that’s about it. her artwork was just there in my art history books. after driving through the sw, followed by seeing her landscapes at the museum in santa fe, i get it now. hit me like a smack in the gut. it was great.

i took hundreds of photos (of course). i’ll be posting some randomly over the next couple of days. here are two of my favorites from arizona …

red dirt.

stack of bones.