joe max emminger

bread girl — “Good Morning” (Julie Paschkis, 8.5″ x 10″)

Happy Monday!

Let’s start the week off in the best possible way by looking at several of the gorgeous paintings from FEAST, an art exhibit at the Grover Thurston Gallery in Seattle featuring the work of award-winning children’s author/illustrator Julie Paschkis and her husband Joe Max Emminger.

The September show includes separate paintings by Julie and Joe Max, as well as a number of collaborative pieces, most of which are related to the theme of food and feasting.

papercut — “Ever Together” (cut paper by Julie Paschkis, 12″ x 20″)

I’ve been a big fan of Julie’s work for years — she’s illustrated several of Janet Wong’s and Julie Larios’s poetry collections, as well as a number of folktales and picture book biographies. She’s known for her love of folk art and pattern (she also designs fabrics), and she likes to make bread and SOUP! 🙂

It’s such a treat to see Joe Max’s work; though I knew Julie was married to another artist, I hadn’t seen any of his paintings before. You lucky Seattle area peeps can sashay on over to see this wonderful exhibit in person. The rest of us can focus our appreciative gazes at the FEAST blog and the Grover Thurston Gallery website (whom you should contact directly if you’re interested in purchasing).

Julie’s gouache paintings are of various sizes. Joe Max’s paintings were rendered in acrylic and are 30″ by 44″. Collaborative pieces are all ink and gouache.

Enjoy this mini feast from FEAST!

summer feast — “Summer Feast” (Joe Max Emminger)

things — “The Things We Leave Behind” (Joe Max Emminger)

unseen guest — “The Unseen Guest” (Julie Paschkis, 23″ x 16″)

canning — “Canning” (Julie Paschkis, 15″ x 22″)

bluebird — “Flow Blue” (Julie Paschkis, 8.5″ x 10″)

crunch — “Crunch” (Julie Paschkis, 16″ x 22″)

cake — “Cat and Cake” (Joe Max Emminger and Julie Paschkis)

jug — “Jug and Cherry” (Joe Max Emminger and Julie Paschkis)

Amazing, right? I’d like to steal that piece of cake in “Crunch” right off the table. Love love love their work! I should also mention that if you attend the Closing Potluck Celebration on Saturday, September 29 (1-3 p.m.), you get to take home one of the bread pieces! (Click here if you’d like to make your own bread sculptures.)