EMI OLIN is an internationally published illustrator recognized for her skills in freelance, scientific, and medical illustration in traditional and digital media, with a strong attention to detail in collaborative and independent research projects.
“I am deeply drawn to texture as a language. In my work, I conceptualize a form of communication that echoes the flow and function of nature itself. As a medical illustrator, I translate the complex textures of human anatomy and organic compounds into accurate, didactic realism. To achieve this level of hyperrealism, I draw heavily from diverse qualities of the natural earth.”
Kindly, Emi Olin
Why Needlefelt?
In 2022, I volunteered at a local thrift store, Upcycle Ohio Thrift Store. I would help decide what could be sold in the thrift section or used as a material in the workshop labs. Connected to the thrift store was a collective of workshop programs to offer new skills, crafts, and upcycling opportunities.
One day, we received a heavy inventory of roving from a local resident whose wife was a needle felting artist. After her passing, instead of tossing the materials, he thought we could find them useful. Unfortunately, the workshops didn’t have a fiber artist to teach or use the material, and the workshop considered passing it to the thrift side to sell.
I had just started to scrape the surface of my felting journey, and I wanted to build a community to share and learn more about what I was falling in love with. So, using my current work as a showcase of how this roving could be used, I started a needle-felting class for all ages to learn and experiment with fiber art.
During that time, I had the opportunity to work with a range of ages, discussing what they wanted to learn from the class. Many of the creations in the class became babies’ first toys, pet memoirs, keepsakes for lovers, and curious dreams come to life.