About Me
Welcome!
I’m Emily, a watercolor illustrator and calligrapher based in Knoxville, TN. My work is heavily inspired by nature—but instead of bringing the outdoors inside, I bring the indoors out ✨ My style is flowers everywhere; miniature sofas and chairs tucked under the flowers; swirly vines; swirly letter styles; and mushrooms—lots of mushrooms.
The number one question I get is "Why 'Cricket'?"
I often felt shy and insignificant growing up, like a cricket hiding in a corner. Expressing myself was difficult, but escaping to the sanctuary of my inner world gave me peace.
When I founded Signed Cricket in 2021, I never even considered another name for the business. The experience felt so much like a cricket starting to chirp for the first time.
In the years since then, I've signed many pieces with the name "Cricket." But somewhere along the way, something incredible happened. Creating art for others unexpectedly, gently coaxed my own inner world out into the open. I've found my voice, and I don't ever want to go silent again.
People also ask, "Are these for bugs?"
My paintings of miniature tea pots and swings out in nature never show who or what uses them. I personally like bugs, but I also like frogs. I like fairies. I've accepted that my job is to create the paintings, and the rest is for your imagination to decide.
In fact, everything runs on imagination here.
I don't obsess over my illustrations being very realistic—my miniature paintings in particular. But if you're drawn to simpler botanicals, I have paintings and prints of mushrooms and flowers that look truer to life.
And thirdly... "Do you do custom orders?"
Yes. Custom pieces were the first art I ever sold and continue to be the heart of Signed Cricket today. Because art has been so deeply personal to me, I work to offer other people the same personal experience where they are involved in the creative process as much (or as little) as they want to be. You can learn more about custom orders here.
Want more?
I tend to forget to update my website until something major happens, so I recommend subscribing to my emails! Folks on my email list receive updates consisting of a short conversational message + a cheerful piece of art or two to brighten your day.
