May 14, 2018

Carmel With Her Daughters. Illuminating Family, Reframing Teen Parenthood. May 14, 2018

Carmel is the third from the left. I am so grateful to have Carmel in my life, as part of this art collaboration. Her story is amazing, powerful, hard and so courageous. I feel so honored that she has put her trust in me. I hope that she knows how brave she is and I hope that being a part of this collaboration has brought only good things into her life. 

I can't believe it is only three days until the opening! Three days! I am so excited! Meghan and Jasper arrived today. Marisa arrives on Wednesday. Thank the universe for my tribe for surrounding me with love and support. How could I do any of this wihtout you? I will be seeing all of you at the gallery on Thursday!!!  

The Paragon Gallery. May 17th! 4:00-7:00 PM. 815 N Killingsworth St. There will be food and drinks! Please bring your family and your friends! This is a celebration!!! Kids are welcome, mine will be there, too! 

Love, Eden

May 13, 2018

Happy Mother's Day!!!  

Anika (on the left) was one of my prenatal yoga students. One day in class, I mentioned that I had been taking photographs of teen families and she told me that her mom was a teen mom. Kelly, Anika's mom, was 18 when she had Anika. By 19 she had earned her degree as a Registered Nurse. This photo shoot was so special because I got to take photos of Kelly, Anika and Anika's newborn baby. 

Four days until the opening! I am continuing to do a lot of yoga breathing, meditating and using my mantras. 

I will see you at the Paragon Gallery on May 17th! 4:00-7:00 PM. 815 N Killingsworth St. There will be food and drinks! Please bring your family and your friends! This is a celebration!!! Kids are welcome, mine will be there, too! 

Love, Eden

May 12, 2018

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Isabelle and Aaliyah. Sisters. Illuminating Family, Reframing Teen Parenthood. May 12, 2018

Zulay! The very first moment I met Zulay, she gave me a gigantic hug. Her heart is huge and wide open. She is one of those people who exudes love and I love being around people like that, like Zulay. These beautiful girls are her daughters. Zulay was 17 when she found out she was pregnant. That was a long time ago, she has been through so much, she has endured a lot, but she continues to rise to greatness. Her family is beautiful. She owns her own business. She has also been so supportive of me, which makes me feel so good. I think she is absolutely lovely. 

Aaron and I brought everything to the gallery today. There were two, young men there, they took awesome care of us.! All I had to do was put the photographs and stories where I want them, they did the rest! It was amazing!

The show is in the gallery, everyone!!!  I have been working on this for three years and I'm totally freaking out because the walls are covered with my work and your stories and it's like I hung my heart on those walls. It's been an incredible journey, meeting all of you has brought me so much happiness. I loved meeting all of you, making connections, building community. It's my favorite. It's all about love. And kindness. And compassion. And breathing. 

Five days until the opening! Unbelievable! I will be doing a lot of yoga breathing, meditating and using my mantras. 

And, I will see you at the Paragon Gallery on May 17th! 4:00-7:00 PM. 815 N Killingsworth St. There will be food and drinks! Please bring your family and your friends! This is a celebration!!! Kids are welcome, mine will be there, too! 

Love, Eden

May 11, 2018

Melanie Then and Now. With Her Mama, Vanessa. Illuminating Family, Reframing Teen Parenthood. May 11, 2018

You already know how much I love Vanessa and Melanie. Look at Melanie at 1 year old and now at 3. She is completely glamourous. Vanessa and Melanie came to my house recently. Melanie made me carry her up the stairs and she made Aaron carry her down the stairs. She is sassy and smart as heck. I met Vanessa when Melanie was a tiny, tiny baby, a newborn. Actually, I might have met her right before Melanie was born. Either I met her at that time, or I dreamed I met her. I hope Vanessa, Melanie and their family will come over and swim with us this summer, that would be so much fun. 

When I went to Vanessa's new apartment for our second photo shoot, she and Melanie made brownies. Vanessa and I talked and talked while the brownies were cooking. Melanie did her own thing, but would come in and visit with us every now and again. She introduced me to her watermelon that she had named Pig. (I think Pig might be a character from Moana, she is really into Moana). 

I have very big news for all of you. Everything is framed. All of the stories are ready. Tomorrow we are going to the gallery to hang the entire show. I can hardly wrap my mind around what is happening. I have spent so many years working on this and it is happening tomorrow, then the opening on Thursday. I am so excited! I hope everyone feels how much love I have for all of the people that have joined me in this endeavor. That is my hope. That there is a lot of love. 

Six days until the opening! I will see you at the Paragon Gallery on May 17th! 4:00-7:00 PM. 815 N Killingsworth St. There will be food and drinks! Please bring your family and your friends! This is a celebration!!! Kids are welcome, mine will be there, too! 

Love, Eden

May 10, 2018

Shayla has the most beautiful eyes, she is absolutely stunning. And she is a good kid, too. Sweet and kind, just like her mom. Lauren suggested we meet at the Marigold Hydropark. I had never even heard of it before, but it's a really cool spot. 

Lauren was 16 when she found out she was pregnant, her story is so romantic. I love it. I want you to read it in person, and so I will see you at the show! 

Seven days until the opening! 

I will see you at the Paragon Gallery on May 17th! 4:00-7:00 PM. 815 N Killingsworth St. There will be food and drinks! 

Bring your family and your friends! Kids are welcome, mine will be there, too! 

Love, Eden

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May 9, 2018

I met Karina for the first time at a grant writing workshop for RACC. I was there to photograph the event. I was chatting with someone about this project and Karina overheard us. She approached me later and told me that she is a teen mom and that she was interested in collaborating with me. How cool is that? This enchanting mother and daughter team let me photograph them on a nasty, rainy winter day. It was pouring outside, so we had tea and our photo shoot in the cozy tea house. Yaretzi let me boss her around, she even did lion's breath for me (as seen in this photo).  

Karina was pregnant at 15. The story she wrote for the show is absolutely beautiful. It is so well written, so heartfelt and honest. You will be moved. As my graphic designer said to me today after reading the stories,  "How can you read these stories without crying through each one?" She talked about how her parents were so supportive and so loving, I really I hope I get to meet them, they sound wonderful. 

The show is eight days away! The next few days I will be working intensely, we will be hanging the show on Saturday. I can't wait! 

I will see you at the Paragon Gallery on May 17th! 4:00-7:00 PM. 815 N Killingsworth St. There will be food and drinks! 

Bring your family and your friends! Kids are welcome, mine will be there, too! 

Love, Eden

May 8, 2018

Chaneka (Sha_knee_kah) is a force of fabulousness. I love her because she is fierce and direct. I also love her because Kayden is the sweetest boy, you can just tell. He's so sweet with his mama, and they get really silly together. If you know me, as many of you do, you know how I am with my kids - fierce, direct and silly. Chaneka and I have an easiness about us, she's so familiar to me, even though I just met her. I love when that instant, love connection with a new friend happens. 

Chaneka wanted to do her photo shoot at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, which is a gorgeous setting. I brought the special duck and goose food that you buy at the farm stand next door, so Chaneka and Kayden got to feed all of the ducks and geese, which is always hilarious. It turns into a duck and goose mob. There were no ducklings or goslings yet, I was hoping to see those fuzzy babies. 

I hope to keep Chaneka and Kayden as my friends, as I hope for with all of my families. Now we can be one, big, happy family. It would be amazing to have reunions, see how everyone is doing year after year. This May 17th, the opening reception for Illuminating Family will be our first annual family gathering. Who wants to be in on this? Let's do it! 

I got my first, final print today from the printer. It's breathtaking. I am so excited to share all of these photos with you!

The countdown continues! 9 days until the opening!! I will see you at the Paragon Gallery on May 17th! 4:00-7:00 PM. 815 N Killingsworth St. There will be food and drinks! 

Bring your family and your friends! Kids are welcome, mine will be there, too! 

Love, Eden

May 7, 2018

This is Alexis with her beautiful boy, Isais. Alexis had Isais when she was going to Roosevelt High School. I remember our photo shoot, she invited me to her home. It was so windy and and rainy. We took some photos at a nearby park, but had to go inside because it was so nasty out. Isais was quiet and very attached to his sweet mama. I remember thinking that Alexis was a bad ass; she was so confident, so easy with Isais, and super smart. Isais' dad was there, too. He was quiet, like Isais. And so kind. I can't wait to see them at the opening, I haven't seen them in so long! 

Today I gave a 30 minute talk about Illuminating Family, Reframing Teen Parenthood at the Oregon Teen Pregnancy Task Force Summit. I was so nervous, I could feel my heart pounding and racing. I spoke to an audience of about 80 people. They seemed to enjoy my talk, I really enjoyed doing it. I feel honored that they asked me. I met some interesting and lovely people, all working to help make the lives of teenagers better. 

Love, Eden

P.S. 10 days until the show opens!!!  I will see you at the Paragon Gallery on May 17th! 4:00-7:00 PM. 815 N Killingsworth St. There will be food and drinks.

Bring your kids, mine will be there!!! 

May 6, 2018

This Lily, I love this Lily. She won me over in 2.5 seconds. Her dad, Arty, was 18 when Lily was born. The story that he wrote for this show is incredible. I can't wait for you to read it. It completely blew me away. His honesty, vulnerability, his courage, I am so proud of him and so proud to have him as part of this project. 

Tomorrow I will be a presenter at the Oregon Teen Parent Task Force Conference. I will be talking about this project and all of the things I've learned along the way. 

See you at the Paragon Gallery on May 17th! 4:00-7:00 PM. 815 N Killingsworth St. There will be food and drinks. Bring your kids, mine will be there! 

Love, Eden

May 5, 2018

Bridgit is the mama, she's the one on the right. We were acquaintances for quite a while, but I didn't know she was a teen mom. One day I was telling her about the project I was working on photographing teen families, she said, "I'm a teen mom". This kind of thing happened frequently, I would mention what I was working on, and invariably, someone would say, "I'm a teen parent", or, "my mom was a teenager when she had me", or "my best friend from high school is a teen mom/dad". 

Bridgit was 17 when she found out she was pregnant with Vanessa. Her parents were a huge support for her when she was pregnant and throughout Vanessa's life. Vanessa is now 20 years old. You can read Bridgit's story at the show, I don't want to give anything away, she has some really good news in her story! 

I will see you at the Opening Reception at the Paragon Gallery on May 17th! 4:00-7:00 PM. 815 N Killingsworth St. There will be food and drinks. Bring your kids, mine will be there! 

Love, Eden

May 4, 2018

To be honest with you, teen fathers are quite under underrepresented in my project. I tried really hard to recruit dads, on many occasions, but I just didn't get enough to volunteer. I'm curious about this and this is definitely something that can be explored in the future. 

Shanne Sowards supports teen fathers through a non-profit here in Portland called Squires. They offer mentoring, parenting classes, and resources for young dads. Shanne has been a huge support to my project, he's invited me to come and speak about Illuminating Family at Squires on many occasions. I met Jerome at an event that Squires was a part of and I think I made a big nudge of myself, I really, really wanted Jerome to be a part of my project. 

We met on a crappy, cold, and rainy day. Those kinds of winter days don't stop my photo shoots. The rain is just a shvitz, no big deal. Jerome is a single dad with two kids. Anaja is 8 years old. She was born two days before Jerome's 15th birthday. My impression of Anaja is that she is a lovely, helpful, sweet and kind little girl. I loved her as soon as I met her. She's my kind of kid. Jerome's 2.5 year old little boy, Xi'ohn, was having a tough day. He had a snotty nose and I don't think he was feeling very well. After torturing Xi'ohn at the park for a while, we made our way to Madrona Hill, a cafe we used to walk to all the time when we lived at the Greeley house. 

We gave Xi'ohn a cinnamon roll muffin and that cheered him up. We battled his nose, though.

Jerome is an awesome barber, you can check out his super cool cuts on Instagram, click here: smooovkutz.  

You will get to meet this sweet and beautiful family at the opening! I can't wait! I bet Anaja and Mayim will hit it off! 

See you at the Paragon Gallery on May 17th! 4:00-7:00 PM. 815 N Killingsworth St. There will be food and drinks. Bring your kids, mine will be there! 

Love, Eden

May 3, 2018

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Emily and Brooklyn. Illuminating Family, Reframing Teen Parenthood. May 3 2018

Say hello to the cutest mom and kiddo, ever! The first time I met this beautiful duo was at the Teen Parent Services celebration of the seniors graduating. Brooklyn mesmerized me! She is absolutely the most adorable child. After that initial meeting, Emily and I arranged a day and time for me to come to their house to do their photo shoot. Emily and Brooklyn live with Emily's mom. Her mom is a huge source of comfort and support. 

I love that shy smile. 

This session was a great example of how the families that I collaborated with welcomed me into their homes and their lives with open hearts. I was so grateful and inspired by how warm, honest and open both Emily and her mom were. I feel so fortunate that Emily trusted me with her photos and her story. 

You will meet this fabulous family at the show! Brooklyn is now 4 years old, so big! I hope I recognize her. 

See you at the Paragon Gallery on May 17th! 4:00-7:00 PM. 815 N Killingsworth St. There will be food and drinks. Bring your kids, mine will be there! 

Love, Eden

May 2, 2018

This is Britni and her daughter Naomi. Mary always invites me to the Teen Parent Services graduation ceremony for the teen parents that are graduating high school. That's where I met Britni, she was an intern for TPS while she was in graduate school. As soon as I told her about the project, she was all in. That's how it usually goes, the passion and excitement these teen parents show when I tell them about this collaboration emboldens me and helps me to keep working on this project. 

Britni got her Masters in Social Work and is now working with adolescents who have disengaged with school. Naomi is potentially one of the strongest girls I've met. She is smart and speaks her mind. These fabulous women will be at the opening, I can't wait to see them there! 

I have much to do, but it will all get done. Tomorrow I will be setting up my studio for mat cutting. It's been a long time since I've cut a window mat, but I'm going to kick ass. 

See you at the Paragon Gallery on May 17th! 4:00-7:00 PM. 815 N Killingsworth St. This is going to be so much fun, it's going to be a huge celebration of all of the teen parents who have helped me with this project! There will be food and drinks. Everyone is welcome, bring your kids!

Love, Eden

May 1, 2018

I met this beautiful woman when she was pregnant in high school, she was in my Prenatal Yoga class at Madison. I love this woman, she holds a special place in my heart. She was pregnant with her son in this photograph. You will see her gorgeous boy in the gallery, he is front and center in their portrait. When I met Salma, her name was Fatuma. She changed her name when she recently became a citizen of the United States. She moved here from Kenya when she was young, when she was 9 years old. Salma was shy with me, but also surprisingly open. She welcomed me into her home for two photo sessions, while she was pregnant and then when Zakir was almost one year old. She's had a daughter since, they named her Sumayyah. 

Please come to the show so you can see their portrait and meet them in real life! 

May 17th 4-7 PM at the Paragon Gallery. 815 N Killingsworth St

Love, Eden

April 30, 2018

Autumn was one of my first prenatal yoga students when I started volunteering at Cleveland High School. She was pregnant with Josiah at the time. She continued yoga with me for quite a long time, even after Josiah was born. Autumn is fierce, smart, and a powerful force. She will be part of the show that opens soon, on May 17th! 

May 17th from 4:00-7:00 PM. At the Cascade Paragon Gallery at PCC Cascade. 815 N Killingsworth Street. There will be food and drinks. Bring your family and friends, kids are welcome!

As we are getting closer to the opening, I am getting more and more nervous. I woke up early this morning, around 3:30 am, wide awake. Nervous, anxious, anticipating all of the moving pieces coming together. But don't worry, I have my mantra, I have my yoga breathing, I have my Valium for emergencies. It's going to be amazing, friends! I will see you there! 

Love, Eden

April 29, 2018

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More From the Bridge Trip. 1. The Lovely Maya. 2. We Explore Many Types of Bridges.  April 29, 2018

April 28, 2018

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Inside the Inner Workings of the Morrison Bridge. A Bascule Bridge. 

April 26, 2018

These gorgeous humans! I had so much fun on this photo shoot with Tina and Zarin. I'm so excited to share the photos I took of them - the one in the show is rad, if I do say so myself. Tina owns the store Hoot-N-Annie in Hillsdale, a children's new and resale boutique. Maternity items, toys, accessories, books. etc. She had Zarin when she was 17, they are awesome!

I'm so excited about the opening - I'm SO EXCITED - to bring all of these amazing people together - I can't wait! It's going to be fantastic!  This is a dream I've had for so long. I can't believe it's happening so soon. 

I will see you at the show - Thursday, May 17th. 4:00-7:00 PM. Cascade Paragon Gallery. 815 N Killingsworth Street. 

Love, Eden

April 18, 2018

All of my thoughts are focused on my upcoming show. I can hardly keep everything straight, there are so many details to keep track of. On Monday I am going to the printer to start printing everything. Then, to the frame shop. The press release went out today. Catherine, my amazing editor, has been a tremendous help. I can't thank her enough. Ever! Lenore is coming over on Sunday to help me curate the show. Thank goodness for Lenore! And thank goodness for my community!!!  I am so grateful! 

I've been reaching out into the community, talking to Women's Centers at the colleges in Portland. Their support and overwhelming gratitude when they hear about the show makes me feel like I'm on the right track. At least, sometimes I feel that way. That nourishment barrier is real, people. 

At this point in the evening, I am cooked. I can't think about it anymore. Then, at about 5:30 am, I'll wake up with a start, thinking about all of the things I still need to do. It's going to be awesome and I hope you will be there to share it with me! 

Here is the info:

Illuminating Family, Reframing Teen Parenthood

Opening Reception: May 17th, 4:00-7:00 PM

Artist Talk and Panel Discussion: May 30th, 2:00 PM

Cascade Paragon Gallery, Portland Community College

815 N Killingsworth St

Be there or be square! 

xoxo