Sketchbook Tour: Emma Deesing

Emma Deesing is a mixed-media artist who merges collage with acrylic paint. She writes that her work “focuses on internal monologue with special attention toward shape and color and their relationship with imagery. I push the boundaries of what a painting can be, and experiment with as many different processes/mediums as possible.” 

Her Volume 16 sketchbook, “A World of Possibilities,” was completed under the theme, “Catalog My Feelings.” Deesing explained the process behind her book to us: “I wanted to document my thoughts during the pandemic and what it’s like being stuck at home. I spent 16 days working in the sketchbook everyday creating compositions with magazines and paint pens. I tried not to think about what I was creating and let it unfold on the page...Even though the world is off balance, there’s still so many possibilities to create!”

A member of Spillway Collective and a recent graduate of Arcadia University now living in Reading, Pennsylvania, Deesing continues to exhibit and earn awards for her work. You can check out her portfolio of collage/painting hybrid pieces on her website and get a behind-the-scenes look at her ongoing projects on Instagram.