Eman Salem
I’ve always wanted to be a children’s book illustrator. Anything related to storytelling has always fascinated me. So much so, that I’ve illustrated several books and wrote three of my own:
A Little Tree Goes for Hajj, A Little Tree’s Ramadan Adventures and Lina, The Tree and The Woodcutter.
My Palestinian culture has inspired me to always be true to myself and those around me.
Being Canadian has pushed me to look at what I do in the spaces where I live and realize how precious things are. Practicing Islam has shaped me and given me strength to move forward.
My artwork, in whatever format, is a story being told. The telling of a story allows us to travel lands untouched, gives us experiences unknown and whimsical dreams. It gives one the power to change a narrative. To give a voice to the voiceless. To offer something unusual.
My choice of medium is usually watercolour or inks and sometimes pencil. My background is in textiles where I became fascinated with Palestinian embroidery (tatreez), natural dyes, eco printing and silk dying as well as papermaking using natural elements. More recently I’ve been exploring paper engineering and hand made pop up books 😉
