MEET EMMA:
Hi! My name is Emma McLarnan and I am from Minneapolis, MN. My inspirations are nature and real-life experiences in an imaginative setting. These inspirations come from my vast canoeing and camping adventures in the Lake of the Woods, the family cabin and other outdoor excursions I have experienced around the United States.
Art has always been my self-care, my release of stress and something that generally makes me feel better about life. I have loved art since I was able to hold a paint brush, pen or any other material that I could assemble into what I felt was art. When I was younger, I did any type of craft kit I could get my hands on - designing clothes, doing friendship bracelets, painting and weaving.
I distinctly remember the day when I met a woman at a flea market in Detroit Lakes, MN, who showed me how to make earrings. I was obsessed with getting my ears pierced since I was young and learning how to make my own jewelry opened a new possibility to me.
No longer would I have to wait to go to Claire’s and persuade my parents to buy me new earrings. I could make them all on my own. From there it wasn't long before I started selling my earrings out of my little middle school locker. This was a fairly lucrative business considering I was 12 and my market was also 12-year old’s relying on allowances.
When I entered high school, I had an incredible art teacher who believed in me more than I could have asked. She allowed me to test out all sorts of mediums; making jewelry, shattered glass sculptures, learning to make stained glass windows. This is where I first learned about linoleum print making and the process of carving the print, inking the design and pressing it.
It wasn't until many years later after graduating with my Environmental and Outdoor Education major from the University of Minnesota – Duluth when I accidentally stumbled across the process again working in an after-school program and was reminded of my love of print making.
This process holds a special place in my heart as my maternal grandfather owned a few large letter presses in his garage, along with owning a few local newspapers in Minnesota. But what I remember most is the large printing presses he owned in his garage. He would print off letter head, comical cards and most importantly, the annual cousin pumpkin carving awards. Getting to carry on this family tradition through my passion is one of the parts of this process I appreciate the most.
