Emily McIlroy: All is a Circle Within Me
- SJIMA
- Oct 6
- 3 min read
Exploring Wholeness, Connection, and the Eternal Flow of Life
This fall, the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) invites visitors to experience All is a Circle Within Me by artist Emily McIlroy, on view in the Nichols Gallery through December 1, 2025.
McIlroy’s work explores the eternal interconnectedness of existence through two distinct visual languages—one figurative and organic, the other abstract and geometric. Both take the circle as their central theme, a universal symbol used across cultures and spiritual traditions to embody wholeness, unity, and timelessness.
In Blessings to the Seven Directions, McIlroy presents geometric compositions structured around a Celtic infinity knot, abstractly representing both the temporal plane of life, in which time is linear, and the eternal plane, where time and space are boundless. Her companion work, River of Their Passing, evokes an unbroken circle of time through a flowing, interconnected line of caribou. This piece envisions an existence in which there is no division between past, present, and future, and no separation between the world of the living and the world beyond. In McIlroy’s vision, the caribou assist in the circle of life by guiding the spirits of salmon that have spawned and died back to the sea.
McIlroy’s works are created in ink and collage on paper, and in pastel, colored pencil, and acrylic on gessoed paper, each medium reinforcing her meditation on material and spirit, time and transformation.
The Artist’s Vision
McIlroy describes her creative practice as a means of communion with the world around and within her—a process through which perceived boundaries dissolve. As she writes in her artist statement:
“I use the practice of drawing and painting as a means of communion with the world around me, and the world within myself. Through creating, I come into intimate contact with things that exist beyond my understanding.”
Her work arises from an “inherently nondual perspective,” connecting the enduring with the temporal and the physical with the spiritual. It seeks to “dismantle the illusion of separateness” and reveal how profoundly interwoven all beings and phenomena are.
Visitors can read Emily McIlroy’s full artist statement on her website:👉 emilymcilroy.com/about
About the Artist
Born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma, McIlroy earned her BA in Studio Art from the University of Arizona and her MFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, where she now teaches in the Drawing and Painting Program. When not in her studio, she can be found immersed in nature—reading, writing, walking, or swimming through terrestrial and aquatic wildernesses that continue to shape her work.
Also on View at SJIMA This Fall
North Gallery — Complex Simplicity by Jan Hoy
Jan Hoy’s abstract sculptural forms embody simplicity, balance, and grace. Her works—crafted primarily in clay with an iron-oxide finish, as well as steel and bronze—explore the interplay of positive and negative space. Hoy’s process involves years of contemplation, resulting in forms that are, in her words, “a three-dimensional answer to a question.” Her aesthetic sensibility is deeply influenced by the silvery skies and natural tones of the Pacific Northwest.
Atrium Gallery — Kelp! Reverberations
A collaborative exhibition by Josie Iselin, Betsy Peabody, Ken Pearce, and Jonathan Kawchuk, Kelp! Reverberations immerses visitors in the vibrant world of the bull kelp forest. Cyanotype banners created by Josie Iselin fill the Atrium with luminous ocean imagery, accompanied by a spatialized underwater soundscape designed by Ken Pearce and Jonathan Kawchuk. Sculptures made from locally foraged kelp by Betsy Peabody and data visualizations from the Samish Indian Nation complete this multisensory exploration of marine life and ecological balance.
Plan Your Visit
The Fall 2025 Exhibitions—including All is a Circle Within Me, Complex Simplicity, and Kelp Reverberations—are on view through December 1, 2025.
🕚 Museum Hours: Friday – Monday, 11 am – 5 pm
📍 San Juan Islands Museum of Art, 540 Spring Street, Friday Harbor, WA
Come experience how art, nature, and spirit converge in this season’s exhibitions at SJIMA.
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