Meet the Artist
Emily
Dakin
aka. Emildee, Illustration
“History points to women as being the proprietors of herbal knowledge and the first ones to document and categorize herbs by their medicinal and toxic qualities. This ancestral knowledge lives on today through storytelling, mythology and communal practices. Herbal Heroines seeks to position women as the champions of their own lives, to gain autonomy and to help others.Themes explored in this series include: empowerment, feminism, autonomy, ancestral knowledge, education, re-writing women’s history, reclamation of lost knowledge, fighting against the patriarchy and capitalism, mythological stories and folklore.”
Emildee is a Tkaronto-based visual artist and illustrator, who synthesizes analogue and digital media to create organic, tactile compositions. She explores themes of powerful women, nature and herbalism--not mutually exclusive! She pulls inspiration from folklore, mythology and history to create images that are symbolic and narrative, while seeking to subvert oppressive patriarchal and capitalist structures that marginalize the role that women's intrinsic knowledge of nature plays in fighting for our autonomy and the health of our communities. Upon graduating in 2021 with a Bachelor of Design from OCADU, Emily hopes to collaborate with community organizations, book publishers and editorial clients that align with her values.
Sheridan College
Advertising and Marketing Communications Management
Major Completed, 2015
Portraits of Powerful Women Botanical Illustration Gouache Painting Storytelling Digital Illustration
2020, Runner Up
Creative Quarterly 60
