Sue Conner
An Artist Journey – Searching for Balance and Meaning

Join Sue Conner as she shares an artist’s journey shaped by creativity, nature, and a lifelong search for balance and meaning. Through images, stories, and personal reflections, she will explore how curiosity, experimentation, and embracing imperfection have shaped her work and artistic voice. This presentation offers encouragement for anyone seeking to live more creatively, mindfully, and authentically.

Sue Conner has been an artist for most of her life, inspired by a childhood shaped by both creativity and a deep appreciation for the natural world. Her artistic practice combines encaustic, handmade paper, fiber, textiles, photography, and found objects to create layered works rich in texture and meaning.

Drawing from personal experiences, memories, and a lifelong connection to nature, her work explores themes of place, belonging, and the stories that shape us. Through layering, stitching, and mixed-media processes, she creates visual narratives that invite reflection and foster a deeper awareness of the interconnectedness of all things.

Whether working in two- or three-dimensional forms, Sue seeks to evoke a sense of quiet contemplation and wonder. Her hope is that viewers discover moments of connection, refuge, and renewed appreciation for the beauty woven throughout the natural world.

Anne Brownfield Brown
Finding Ema: Visual Inspiration from Japan

Full disclosure: Ema is not human
Last year Anne traveled to Japan with the goal of collecting as many emas as possible. Emas are beautifully designed, colorful votive plaques found at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. She is excited to share this little-known aspect of Japanese culture with other visual artists. In addition, she will also be showing examples of Japanese calligraphy collected on her trip.

Anne has been intrigued by Japanese culture since childhood. In the last decade, she has made two trips to Japan and has avidly researched Japanese design culture. After a 40+ year career as a graphic designer and communications director, she now spends her time taking photographs and teaching design as an adjunct instructor at Arizona colleges.