About Me
Hello! I am Emily, creator of Wildcard Art Garden. About me, let’s see…
I am a former early childhood educator who taught in classrooms and nannied tiny humans for over a decade in Chicago, IL. It wasn’t until I was 33, a mother, and in quarantine, that I could finally hear the voice of my inner child screaming at me, saying: “Hey! It’s Little E! You’re an ARTIST! Remember?” Actually, it was more like a whisper then, but I’ve been working hard at cultivating and caring for that voice over the past few years.
Since then, I’ve been painting and following that little voice almost non-stop. After landing in my hometown of Kalamazoo, MI with my husband and son, that little voice led me to Rootead, a local organization centering birth justice and offering doula training. I have learned so much since joining their community and training and working as a doula. Much of what I’ve learned is there is always more to learn! And that’s the beauty of the work, isn’t it? It spirals on and on…
While transitioning into a new home and new work, and navigating parenthood with a quickly growing toddler, I continued evolving my painting practice at night. What I became aware of in those quiet evenings alone with myself was that creating is (and was always) a part of me, whether I engaged with it or suppressed it. My painting practice continues to evolve along with me, and in general, I am always striving to align with the true nature of the wild child pictured here. (*Ahem*, wildcard.)
When I am not creating, you can find me working as a doula and birth photographer in my community, spending time with my family and friends, and learning how to grow food and herbs in my garden. Thank you for being here, from the bottom of my bleeding heart!
Artist Statement
Emily Regan is a self-taught, emerging artist living on the unceded ancestral lands of the Indigenous Peoples of the Three Fires Confederacy, consisting of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Bodewadmi nations (Kalamazoo, MI.)
She works mainly in acrylic paint on canvas and finds inspiration in her past, in her present, and in imagining the possibilities of the future. In much of her work, she explores themes of lineage, birth justice, collective liberation, and the connection between all three. The natural world is a consistent element throughout her creations, as is imagery from her childhood. Bright colors and patterns frame the faces within her portraits, which range from her own personal relationships, to birth stories, to inspiring activists, to pets!
She finds immense fulfillment in creating art that brings joy, awe, and curiosity. In sum, Emily’s creative process serves as a remembering of who she is, as well as an uncovering of who she is becoming.