Watercolor Life: An Interview with Emma Block

Artist Emma Block finds inspiration everywhere: in the intricate forms and shapes of a building facade, in the people she passes on the street, in the peach and amber hues in the fall foliage of her native England. And so, it seems apt that Emma’s work is everywhere, too: on the pages of books and magazines, on textiles and even product packaging. We were fortunate to meet Emma when we selected one of her images for the cover of Everyone Loves Paris. We were even luckier to work with her as she harnessed the lessons from her sell-out watercolor classes to write The Joy of Watercolor, a how-to guide with “happy lessons for painting the world around you.”

Since then, Emma has written a guide to another favorite medium, Get Started with Gouache, along with Slow Travel Journal: The Small Delights of Going Away. Beautifully illustrated and packed with thought-provoking prompts, the book invites readers to slow down and take note of everything around them, from the color of the sky to the rhythms of the music on the radio. Emma’s next book, Watercolor Life—a follow up to The Joy of Watercolor, now in its sixth printing—comes out spring 2022.

We sat down with Emma to talk about the rolling hills of Tuscany, the magic of a great making-cupboard, and the simple (and brilliant!) strategy she deploys to slow down while traveling.

What led you into art?

EB: I’ve been creating things ever since I was little. One of my earliest memories is of my making-cupboard, full of paint, pipe cleaners, and glitter. I’ve always loved having a picture of something in my head, then recreating it on paper in front of me. To me, that’s magic.

You find inspiration in so many places and things—in old photos, vintage clothes, old films, 1950s illustration, 1930s jazz, and sausage dogs. How do these things inform your work?

EB: I think there’s definitely a look of midcentury illustration about my work, in the colors I use and the textures I create. I often look back at old photos, old films, and vintage clothes for inspiration, and I think that gives my work a somewhat timeless quality. Sausage dogs show up frequently in my pictures because I see a lot of them where I live, in North London, and I just love them. They add a little pop of whimsy to the scene!

You’ve done a lot of teaching, through your books and your workshops. What do you love about it?

EB: I really love encouraging and inspiring people. Creativity is for everyone, and it can bring people so much joy! It’s so rewarding when people tag me in Instagram posts sharing the things they’ve learned, the confidence they’ve found, and the ways that painting has gotten them through difficult times.

What inspired you to write Slow Travel Journal: The Small Delights of Going Away?

EB: Over the last few years of traveling, I’ve learned that the more I slow down—and the less I worry about getting to all the “must-see” attractions—the more I enjoy myself. I also really love drawing and painting in my sketchbook when I’m traveling. In fact, lots of the pieces in Get Started with Gouache and Watercolor Life come straight from my sketchbook, from the rolling hills of Tuscany to the beaches of Tulum to a pumpkin patch in California. So it was really lovely to bring the idea of deliberate travel and the practice of sketching together in Slow Travel Journal, to encourage people to travel more mindfully.

You have so many tantalizing food prompts in the book! What’s your best food memory from your past trips?

EB: Food on vacation brings back such vivid memories! I especially loved having gelato in front of the Duomo in Sicily, buying pain au lait for breakfast in Paris, and drinking freshly squeezed orange juice in the medina in Morocco.

After writing this book, how do you plan to travel differently, next time you’re on the road?

EB: The next time we travel will be our first time travelling as a family of three, with our son, so it’s definitely going to be different! I think it’s going to be about lowering expectations and taking things slowly. Also embracing the tradition of the siesta— everyone loves a midday nap!

What have been the small delights of working on this book?

EB: Revisiting my old sketchbooks and travel memories has been delightful, especially as the book was written while we were in lockdown here in the UK. It was wonderful to be able to travel in my mind, even if I couldn’t really leave the house.

What’s up next for you? What are you excited about?

EB: I’m really excited about Watercolor Life, which comes out in spring 2022. In the book, I share all my favorite techniques for creating beautiful watercolors, from wet on wet to using expressive brushstrokes. My first book, The Joy of Watercolor, gave people a bit of joy and escapism through creativity, especially during the pandemic, and I hope Watercolor Life will bring people many more happy hours of painting.

To discover the delights of going away yourself, check out Slow Travel Journal: The Small Delights of Going Away, available through Indiebound and elsewhere.