Oh hey there

Boy, have we got some explaining to do. Though traditionally holiday cards, well wishes, and updates are sent before the New Year we’ve decided to take the time on Martin Luther King Jr. Day as there was never spare time beforehand. See, we’ve had a pretty crazy year.

Tracy graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Psychology and got promoted in the microbiology lab he’s worked at for 7 years. If Tracy had a therapist, she would call this irony. He then celebrated the new chapter in his life by surviving appendicitis all summer long until a few or so thousand dollars later and a real hosipital doctor narrowed down his stomach pains. Meanwhile Nic found herself in a lot of work putting both her printmaking and graphic design degrees to good use. She too had a big promotion – from in-house designer to Marketing & Art Director for a few vegan establishments in Salt Lake City, she learned how to ship her life size animal head woodcuts near and far and to not let anyone haggle with her art because they may be Josh Groban.

Sheila turned 3 and learned to swim after a handful of trips to Lake Powell. Tracy decided to surprise everyone by adopting a similar mutt from the same Humane Society as Sheila and named him Mate. But he also goes by Ralph Mater, Mate Dawg, Tomater, Darth Mater, and Jelly Donut Doggy. Mate opened our eyes to live together and soon came searching for rentals but somehow we ended up as homeowners in Sugar House for our 2 year anniversary. While remodeling a few things here and there in our 1914 home, Nic prepared for her first ever real-life solo show in a real-life gallery and Tracy grew his first manly beard. We’re becoming adults. Gasp!

Onward.

Our New Year’s Resolution is to keep working on the house and go hiking as much as possible, snow or shine. Tracy wants to grow facial hair more often and learn to build stuff like a real man. Nic wants to organize her computer files and build her inventory, for the love of all that is Holy. Sheila wants to learn how to be quiet on command and Mate wants to learn that not every dog at the park would like to be humped. And most importantly we want our friends and family to be apart of our lives as much as our adult lifes allow. Here’s to 2012!

So real quick, I bought a house with the guy. In a nutshell the rental we were at wasn’t a good fit for us and the pups. When the opportunity arose, we took it and took it fast. While at the rental which was then an upgrade in square footage but still small for two people, I used my Pinterest boards and sketched a bed frame for my flat file drawers to fit under. Soon it became the perfect area for where the dogs sleep too. I think they think it’s their own personal dog house and we just like to hang out on the roof. My friend Di helped me sew new shams because adults have shams on their bed. But then we moved into our very own home, built in 1915 and built without closets. So again, I went to Pinterest to get inspired and sketched out custom closets to go on each side of the bed. I really wished I snapped a before picture to see the drastic change in the color (light green, ew) and space. But when you live at your boyfriend’s parents house 25 minutes from the city while spending any spare time available working on your first solo show, and you’re tired of your life in boxes, you get the keys, you get the paint and get working until the bed is built and you can sleep in your very own place.

It’s pretty exciting to be able to make improvements and changes to my own home without any permission. And I love that I can make sketches to build things and the guy and our dads can build them easily. And not to toot my own horn, but Grandma Ruthie’s Buffalo looks pretty awesome above the bed. I can’t tell you what interior style I am going for, but I love clever confined spaces – probably from living in a 300 square foot apartment for 2 years – patterns, and splashes of accent colors. I guess as we remodel each room I’ll explore what my style truly is and I’ll be sure to keep sharing.

After getting gelato with the parents in the 9th and 9th area yesterday, we waited to walk across the street where I saw my father tap my mother on the shoulder and sign to her “I love you.” I thought this was an endearing moment until he quickly pointed across the street. He was showing her the walkway sign where someone incredibly creative and possibly very tall, put a piece of duct tape on the two middle fingers to translate the sweetest phrase. I am smitten by this simple street art.

Just 15 minutes after walking in my door from a weekend in Vegas, I got my hands on samples from a postcard design I did for my super smart sister (like, way smart) and thank you passes to Canyons Ski Resort (you didn’t have to!). The event is pretty great – support and network with others who have Type 1 Diabetes, ages 21-35 at The Wild Grape Bistro.

If you fall in this category, you can RSVP by April 15th to diabetesmixer@gmail.com

This made me want to pay a tribute to the person who first introduced me to printmaking which ultimately made me change my major from photography to it. Sean Caulfield came to Utah State University in 2005, my freshman year. All I knew was photo from the 4 years I invested in it in high school. I did nothing else but take black and white 35 mm photos and play volleyball. The art program at USU requires each art student to take the Visiting Artists class which is why I was forced to listen to Sean Caulfield speak and present his work. I was floored. I didn’t understand how he made such beautiful drawings. I didn’t understand how he made such soft lines. I just didn’t understand it at all and I wanted to know more. I didn’t have to go to his workshop, but I had to personally.

(via his website)

I didn’t know what to do when I got there. He handed me a copper plate and an etching needle and I probably sat there for 20 minutes having no idea what to draw. I’ve always sketched things that were in front of me since I was little and they were never all that great. Maybe I will have to dedicate a post to my old drawings to prove it. But capturing images was all I knew and was used to, not creating them. Sean gave me great advice on looking at scenery, in my case the printmaking studio, and manipulating it in some way. So without further ado, here is my very first print, a dry etch:

It makes me laugh how bad it is, but I am still in a way proud of it.

In October of 2008 I went to the Mid-America Conference, my first printmaking conference, in Fargo, ND. Yeah of all places, Fargo. Not only did I not know what to expect, I did not expect Sean Caulfield to be standing in front of me. And I really, really, did not expect him to come up to me and tell me I looked familiar. Once I told him I was from USU, he remembered and I told him how I changed my major because of him. He instantly apologized. I guess people can’t take such a compliment! He was so nice to offer me loads of information of what to do after graduation and even wrote them and resources in my sketch book. This is something I am working on now.

So once again to Mr. Sean Caulfield, thank you. You’ve changed my life for the better, and that’s nothing to be sorry about.

And to my brother, take the compliment. I thought people became teachers because they wanted to teach what they believed and change lives. Well, sometimes it happens so be proud. I’m proud of you too.

Yesterday my Uncle Fred died. He laid in a hospital bed surrounded by his wife and kids, unconscious as cancer spreaded through his lungs and his kidneys failing until, he slowly stopped breathing. He was a U.S. Solider and fought in the Vietnam War where he met and married my mom’s oldest sister and brought the entire family to America. Utah, to be specific. If he didn’t enlist, go to Vietnam, marry my Aunt, or bring the family over, my parents wouldn’t have met, and I wouldn’t be here. He is the second father I’ve heard of passing away this week, the first one belonging to a friend of mine. I’ve never met my friend’s dad but it broke my heart when I found out. And who knows how many other dads have passed away this very week as well.

I have not talked to my father for nearly 3 months. He was my best friend and the man I trusted the most. There has hardly been a day where we didn’t talk, until the day I found out he’s been having an affair. And if that isn’t heartbreaking enough, it’s the third throughout my parents marriage. I have no desire to talk to him, even after knowing my friend and cousins can no longer talk to theirs. But at the same time I don’t want to regret not talking to him while he’s still around. I know my relationship with him will never be the same and frankly, I’m too scared to hear what else he has to say. It could be more lies, it could be the painful truth. Saying nothing hurts the least right now.

He is the black bird in this addition to my Identity Issues series:

This is printed for Signed & Numbered‘s “Mini” Print Exchange, their first in their new location on 21st and 21st, Salt Lake City. The show is still TBA.

8″x 8″. Hand printed relief, screen print, and hand coloring. Printed on Unbleached Mulberry.

This print was about him too. I just didn’t want to admit it yet.

So what else could I do? I went to the SLC AIGA’s event where Debbie Millman, the National AIGA President, was lecturing on the psychology and evolution behind Why We Brand? Why We Buy? Yes, I went to a lecture. And I loved it!  It was a really fascinating talk.

I bought 2 copies of her latest book, “Look Both Ways,” and 1 is being sent to that redhead I talk about so much. Her birthday is the day before mine and this seemed to fit the perfect gift from me to her. I was able to get it signed and everything. And I don’t know what Ms. Millman was thinking but she wrote, “For Emily PS- You are lucky to have the best half-Asian friend there is!” I have to say, Ms. Millman is a fine lady and knows what she’s talking about.

I had many friends, some I haven’t talked to in a long long time, all wish me a great day. It’s so nice to know people are thinking of you. Then Tracy the boy brought me yummy Thai food for dinner and Jaci surprised me with cupcakes! A pretty fulfilling day!

Sorry Britnee.

Boxcar Base for my Kelsey Excelsior 6×10
A new roller for my Kelsey Excelsior 6×10
Letterpress: the allure of the handmade
Letterpress: New Applications for Traditional Skills
Wood type – any
The Printmaking Bible
Printing By Hand
Craft Inc.
A frame for my professor, Kathy Puzey’s 21 3/4″ x 15″ amazing relief print.
And I can’t list everything I want on Etsy. So browse through my favorites, if you will.
Oh and a pair of Ash Canvas TOMS shoes. I have high hopes they hold up better than sanuks.

Most of all, I would just love help restoring my Kelsey because I’ve never done anything like it before nor do I have a place for proper ventilation when stripping paint. Which for those who are wondering, I probably won’t get to it until it gets warmer out so I can do it in my backyard without freezing to death.

Exactly 33 years ago, my parents married. They were 21 years old and in love. How did they meet? I’m glad you asked.

The Vietnam War was getting bad and my Uncle, a white guy in the army who married my mom’s oldest sister, moved the family from everything they knew to his hometown -Caste Dale, UT. Now something you should know about the mama and all of my Aunts and Uncle – they’re all deaf but the youngest sister. The only deaf school in Utah at the time was in Ogden so the kids journeyed north for school. Now, a few weeks before this my dad had no job. He received his last welfare check and knew he needed to start looking for work. One day coming home from school at Weber State University, he turned left to the deaf school to see if they were hiring. That left turn changed his life, as he likes to put it. My dad was an RA for the boys dorm and this is how he learned his fifth language, American Sign Language. Him and my mom were the same age and older than most of the others and once she got the courage to talk to him, they started dating.

One day, my dad got down on one knee and signed, “Will you marry me?” Even though she was mostly confused on why he was down on one knee, she answered, “Ask my parents first.” So my dad hired a Vietnamese translator and drove 3 hours to Castle Dale just to be shot down. My grandparents justification for declining was that they were both goats in the Chinese Zodiac which meant they’ll butt heads. But somehow when they heard my dad had a house they agreed to the marriage and moved in with them with 3 of my mom’s siblings. As newlyweds, my dad had 5 extra people in the house to take care of, none who spoke English or spoke at all. This is how much he loved her and still does today.

Happy Anniversary!