Three Years of Slowpoke

Welcome and thanks for sticking around.

Today marks three years of Slowpoke. A lot of you are new here. Welcome! It seems like a good time to reintroduce myself and the framework for this newsletter.

I’m Carson Ellis, an artist who lives on a historic farmstead in Oregon, near Portland. I’m not a farmer, just the steward of a 5 acre property that was formerly a big hay farm. (My friend Alix Ryan and I dedicated a short-lived podcast called Old Bright to exploring the history of this farm, if you’d like to know more about that.) I’m a gardener and I keep some animals: currently three llamas, four goats, three cats, and four hens.

I’m the mother of two boys: Milo, 12, and Hank, 19. The older they get, the less comfortable I am writing about them. I want to respect their privacy. I will just tell you that I adore them; they make my world go ‘round.

I’m a musician’s wife. My husband Colin is the singer/songwriter for The Decemberists and he also makes my world go ‘round. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be married to a touring musician, I get into some of the highs and lows of it right here on Slowpoke. If you are also married to a touring musician, welcome comrade.

I’m a writer’s wife too. Colin is the author of a number books, including The Wildwood Chronicles, which we collaborated on.

As for me, I generally describe myself as an illustrator because it’s my bread and butter, though my art practice is a multidisciplinary one. I have illustrated a lot of books for kids and I have written some too, including Home and Du Iz Tak? I have been the “artist-in-residence” for The Decemberists since their inception in 2001. I do some editorial illustration. I’ve worked on a few public art commissions. I also paint and exhibit, mostly at Nationale in Portland with my brilliant gallerist May Barruel, who is one of my oldest friends.

A therapist once posited that I have ADHD and, who knows, maybe I do. I am a hyperfixated person who is always in the grips of a project. At the moment I am designing a calendar, keeping bees, and learning to play the piano. I draw, paint, embroider, knit, garden, build (shoddy) furniture, sew, and carve things out of wood, often with feverish urgency. There are not enough hours in the day, especially because I am also a slow-moving person. I read and write slowly; I work slowly; I process slowly. And that is why this newsletter is called Slowpoke.

Slowpoke Nitty Gritty

Slowpoke has changed a lot over the years. It’s always evolving, but it generally focuses on art and being an artist. Currently it’s a weekly newsletter that arrives on Monday mornings. You can read it in your inbox, on the substack app, or at carsonellis.substack.com where it resembles a blog.

You don’t have to pay to subscribe - a lot of my posts are free - but I love it when you do. Paid subscriptions power Slowpoke. They allow me to prioritize this newsletter in a way that I otherwise could not.

If you are already a paid subscriber,

Okay, that’s me. What about you? Tell us who you are, where you’re from, and what you’re hyperfixated on. You’re not hyperfixated on anything? Wow, so chill.

Love,
Carson

P.S. Did you know you can gift a subscription to Slowpoke? It’s true!

Here I am, getting a little better at piano.