E J M Design

Snapped one good photo of my art setup before my phone died at this past Saturday. I had a really great time vibing with and many others - everyone was so nice. Danced so much that I am completely spent today, especially in combination with my band participating in Tom Waits Weekend 2024 the Thursday and Friday before the fest.

What a life.

This weekend I'm headed out to Red River Gorge area to paint at alongside many regional EDM and visual artists. I plan to bring the piece that I started during the eclipse event in March for this Celestial themed celebration.

Setting out soon for Cody Feste 2024 for music & marbled masks at Al’s Bar 🎭

For the 2nd year in a row, I'm teaming up with my buddy Cody from and to bring you a multimedia birthday throwdown of the Virgo persuasion. This time I'll facilitate a mask-marbling workshop using paper marbling ink techniques. Come dance and unleash your khu, your inner shimmer, through mask design. Materials will graciously be provided, however they are limited and available first come first served. Following the marbling process, masqueraders are encouraged to eke out shapes they see in the swirls of mystery using a variety of crayons, markers, and paint. Let that subconscious flow heavy, get a little Jungian. Prepare to meet a new facet of yourself when you look in the mirror all masked up! 🎭
The painted mask pictured above is one that I made a few years back. Though the paper material and visual intensity are on par for what we'll be doing, it does not portray the effects we will achieve via marbling. Hit this tag and check that technique out for yourself. Curious about booking me for live art elements at your next event? Shoot me a message and let's chat 🪩🎨

Some, But Not All
Emily Miller, 2024
Mixed-media collage on canvas
This piece was inspired by the vintage car advertisements found in National Geographics from the 1950's & 60's. Going for pastel surrealism, embracing liminal space aesthetics with the experimentation of ambient light.
I will get prints made when I roll out the results from my sabbatical, coming 2025. Currently showing at StudioWorkZ in Louisville, KY.
Image description: An aqueduct or series of columns in pastel colors spans horizontally across the vertical orientation of the canvas. The sky is set during late golden hours of the day with a brilliant, pearlescent sunset in pinks, yellows, oranges. Overhead the sky deepens to a periwinkle as dusk approaches and a full golden moon rises. A family in a pink cadillac sails over the architecture toward the viewer, provoking questions about whether this freedom is positive or endangering. Two other classic cars are also driving, one in the distance along the aqueduct and the other in the grass below where a few cows and german shepard are wandering. The man in the moon overhead is drinking wine from a bag.

Tonight many community artists and I are showing work together and reconnecting for the Connecting Community Through Creativity gallery exhibition at
These artist colleagues are some of my biggest influences and first friends I made when I moved to Louisville! The StudioWorkZ space is beautiful, located at
4545 Taylorsville Rd, Louisville, KY 40220. Come check it out and maybe take home a new piece that you couldn't leave without! I will have a mixed media collage painting on display that I worked on both in live painting and studio settings, titled "Some, But Not All." Stay tuned for photo updates of the event!

Grateful. Every. Day.

I love making music with my friends.

Throwback from
Grateful to create eclipse art alongside the musicians who set the magical moods for the weekend. This photo was taken by .of.light.photos on Saturday at the Moon Stage, with production from and . Bass music provided by who is quickly becoming a new favorite in our local community.
Still working on this painting and several other small projects, still suspending myself from the pressure of deadlines as I reflect on what my final sabbatical project will include. I want to put together something special to share with everyone while maintaining my self-compassion for why the break was necessary in the first place.

Oh just me and the dawgs
after our weekend run of gigs. Lots of music, belly laughs, chaos, magick and reconnection with good people and nature. And raccoons stealing our buns 🦝✨️🎸🎻🎹🎷🪈🏕
"You wanna go play this gig or go crash with the lobsters in the aquarium at the Red Lobster?"
"...this is my stop bois. It's been real 🤙."
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Sunset in the 'ville

Been into urban lines and different colors/sources of light lately.

Love how this is transforming…come find me on IG () for the full scoop on this past weekend at The Moonshadow Fest.

One of the most anticipated events of the year - the solar eclipse - will take place April 2024 in our literal backyards! This month, you have a chance to win two tickets to The Moonshadow Fest at The Monarch in Louisville, KY. I'll be there painting 🌘🌑🌒

Official artwork for new self-titled album, coming to a streaming platform near you on 11/10/23!
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I'll share closeups of each of these illustrations soon. The fire and the magician each take up their own page in my sketchbook! The fire spirit is an interpretation of the Egyptian sun deity, Ra. created a beautifully toned digital collage with mountainous horizon and sun disc, he added texture to great effect.

On Halloween releases the newest single Steps from the SadBlackLab LP, accompanied by a very special treat created by my friend Brandon.

In this artwork, I combined original illustration with digital collage for a visual narrative of encounters with Shadow (ayyye Jung enthusiasts). One of the reasons why I love collage so much is because of the visual dialogue between pre-existing images and original images. Sometimes it is tempting to reinvent the wheel during a design project and illustrate everything in the name of authenticity. Quick turnaround inspires creative decision making that takes a different path. I geeked when I found the source image for this stairway, for example. The Romantic architectural style was the balance the piece needed.

Follow SadBlackLab for updates on the release of Steps and our album release shows on Nov. 10 & 11!

Nbt-Hwt
E. Miller
Ink on paper
2023
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This piece is a meditation on uncertainty and the unseen. In one of my books on Egyptian mythology, the goddess Nbt-Hwt (or Nebet-het, sister of Isis) is characterized as Lady of the House. She is likened to the dark side of the moon: we know it is there as part of the whole even though we can't see it. Visualizing the unseen as part of the whole helps me shift from anxiety to acceptance.
Though this illustration stands as it's own entity, there are two more variations rolling out in a week's time, including one with and a dynamic collaboration with one of my best OG friends...

Return to the Soil
E. Miller
Mixed media on canvas
2023
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Return to the soil
To overcome the precedent of
Matter in the wrong place
The world comes
And so one finds a niche
We form our homes
One grain of sand at a time
Niche becomes prison
And memory cries
Thou pluckest me out
The Wind, Itself
decolonizes the queen
Eight directions from within, scattered anew
To move and remove and be moved.🌪🔮🧱💀
Getting prints made, stay tuned This magical piece is the product of an art and music collab with and it began its journey at his first absurdcore solo album release. Follow his page for updates about shows in 2024!

This Saturday, I'm hitting Cirque De Virgo at Rockcastle Riverside (Livingston, KY) and Damage Therapy's album release show at Breakroom (Lexington, KY). It is my pleasure to contribute to these friends' fantastic visions with my art, with and more or less encouraging full creative license.

In 2024, I'm filling my calendar with art engagements that have a forward focus on discovery and original concepts. If you want to book a live painter, commission an artist's choice mural, bring art vendors to an event, get funky with an art installation for a festival, etc - let's talk!

Since I'm moving toward original work, I will not be taking graphic design projects. There are several artists I can recommend in my place. This is a big change. I am stoked to honor this new era of creation for 💚

It is with highest gratitude and excitement that I share the artwork for Damage Therapy's third album, Panacea. Their album release show is this coming Saturday at Break Room in Lexington, KY (link in comments). Any time these fine musical outlaws reach out to work together, they blow my mind with their innovative approach to songwriting, profound thematic material, and multifaceted, psychedelic rock 'n' roll stylings. I began this project with a series of watercolor impressions for each song. The band picked the artwork for tracks titled Beast with 1000 Names and The Railyard as the front and back of their album. I created black and white illustrations in archival ink. The final artwork was completed in Adobe Suite using digital collage and painting techniques. We push eachother to level up. The Railyard is already out as a single, so hop over to their bandcamp to check it out!

Highlights from Thursday night at album release. Hypnotic effects on the crowd, drawing them in and deconstructing the formality of performer-spectator dynamics.

WIP on the painting. I am happy with how it is shaping up and enjoyed discussing the process with several friendly souls who approached throughout the evening. The red lighting that dominated the space was giving survival-darkroom energy. When combined with the chaotic noise and narrative play of the musical acts / sideshow antics, it was a whole mood.

Next Thursday turns 30 and releases his first solo album as . We will celebrate this kind, remarkably talented human in dada style with music, spoken word and drinks at I'll be there painting by the stage, with an array of art and collection of trinkets for sale/swap.

Cody and I collaborated on a prompt for the live art portion by combining an element of absurd numerology with archetypal imagery. We have not discussed any other details of the piece or process. I have prepared minimally for the composition and it will be cool to see how the mixed media process plays out...

Happy Friday! In 2024 I am taking a year-long sabbatical from freelance work to restore and rebrand. Excited to take a deep dive into exploring media, get back to making original artwork, and showing up for myself and my community in new ways.

My inventory is low and I'm trying to sell what I have left so I can buy a plane ticket to my cousin's wedding, to be totally honest. Please send me a DM if you are interested in purchasing.

Signed Senora May poster - $25
Everything else - $15
Ask me about deals for buying multiple prints! 😊

Photoshop

and will perform at Wiley's Last Resort this August, hosted by . Come get your fill of Appalachian strings and harmonies!
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The high-summer colors and lines in this design capture the warmth in my soul when I return to the mountains. My lovely mother drew the clovers. Many thanks to and everyone else taking part in putting this together.

The artists of had a lovely day vending and flamingle-ing down by the Appalshop today at Seedtime on the Cumberland in Whitesburg, KY.

Had so many pleasant conversations with community members as they stopped by our tables, sold some stickers and prints, and watched Jondra and Blakely play music in the pavilion. Second photo is a thumbnail from the painting I started at the gorge - I spent all afternoon working on it.

Thank you to everyone who came together to put this on and stop by to chat!

Logo design for one of the most OG progressive rock bands in the central KY region (these guys taught me so much about music and life) the one and only Damage Therapy. If you need some light psychedelic surgery, just step into their waiting room on Facebook and hit that like button, so you can stay tuned for forthcoming events...(hint big news). We collaborated on this logo revamp since October, so the dopamine release today is F E L T. Learned a lot on this project and had to make myself stop playing with metallic gradients so I could deliver the finished products. The color scheme experiments could have gone on forever.
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Work in progress on a painting that I started a little less than two years ago. Waters may whip us around but we always hold the keys to our own gates 🙏 Thank you to for capturing this moment at the Apocalypse Wear Party.