RILEY SHEEHEY
Illustrating the Everyday
Two objects from my childhood stand out as particularly magic, and both were related to my maternal grandmother. The first was a sugar egg that lived for years in a drawer in her foyer, and I would sneak over to check that it was still there and stare into it at every chance I got. The other, a card she wrote me that folded into a layered garden is still tucked away safely in my keepsake box.
The miniature worlds the egg and greeting card created were so special to me and felt like such delicate treasures. Looking at Riley Sheehey’s work makes me nostalgic for the wonder of that time of life and reminds me that there are plenty of worlds left to discover.
Sheehey layers pieces she’s drawn or painted into intricate, tiny collages. Each piece has me ready to climb right inside. Riley began her career as an elementary art teacher, and after finding enough success with her illustrations to feel confident that she could make it work full time, Sheehey took the plunge and hasn’t looked back. If you’re wondering what exactly it looks like to be able to quit your dayjob, Riley told Margaux that for her it meant 6 months salary in the bank, “I started by doing wedding invites and portraiture—mostly for friends, co-workers, old sorority sisters, etc. The great thing about wedding invites is that they go out to a ton of people, and so friends of friends would see them, and ask who did them, and so I got a lot of business initially from word of mouth. This is such a boring answer but I knew I could take the plunge when I had saved up 6 months + salary, and looked at my monthly expenses and knew that I could comfortably meet them with the income from my painting business. I am pretty risk-averse and so I went about it in probably the most boring (but also practical!) way possible, ha!”
One of my favorite things about Riley’s work is how whimsical and creative it is. The artist often incorporates found objects into her work and her creativity always blows me away. I can’t imagine looking at a shamrock and envisioning a balloon but I think I always will now.
Sheehey is in the midst of creating a book about modern motherhood that’s filled with her illustrations. Each image resembles a delft tile, famous for their blue and white motif and depictions of everyday moments. Riley has beautifully captured those quiet moments of motherhood in the series, reminding us moms that what often feels like the daily grind are also moments we’ll cherish.
My favorite of the Modern Motherhood series might be SPF 50 (above), as there might not be a bigger battle in the Andris home than applying sunscreen. But, I also find that once I’ve pinned my children and am lathering them, I can’t help but find myself enamored with these wriggly beasts.
Riley’s shadowboxes are such a treat as well, I feel like the the bookshelf above could’ve been pulled right out of any of my kids’ bedrooms. Sheehey has such a way of elevating the ordinary to remind us of the extraordinary. In an interview with the cottage journal earlier this year, Riley shared that every day life is her main source of inspiration, “Random details I notice throughout the day, classic illustrations from children’s books I read my daughter, memories of life growing up . . . the stuff that seems mundane at the surface but actually is the really good stuff… I try really hard to pull inspiration from my own experiences in an effort to make my work unique and as true to me as I can,” she says. “I always am especially drawn to artwork that tells a story, and [I] try to tell a story with each piece I make—and I hope it’s one that resonates with people.”
If you’re as taken with Riley’s unique use of illustration and pattern to transport the viewer I hope you’ll check out her work because there’s so much more to discover!
If you’d like to know more about Riley Sheehey start here, and also be sure to follow Riley on instagram at @rileysheehey
Let’s talk more soon, and as always, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments!