Music To Create By

I am working on a huge piece right now. Its a large canvas full of small detail using mixed media. Developing this piece has become so much easier since I now have a studio space in my home! Scott and I revamped the guest room to still accomodate a guest, but also my large drafting/ art table, a bookshelf full of resources and art materials and a storage unit full of art supplies.

I feel so fortunate having this space as it allows me to leave my unfinished works out on the table and work on them whenever the moment strikes. As of this week, you couldnt possibly drag me out of the space! Its making my life so much more enriched...but very very sleep deprived haha.

I feel like this year is going to be a year for huge projects that I am so excited about!

Meanwhile, as the new work wont be posted for a long time as its taking a long long time....here is some inspirational tidbits that I have been using to fuel my art:

Fever Ray (great video):



This new piece is going to be darker than many of my past works.... getting lots of inspiration from quilting and from the story of Baba Yaga and Vasilissa the Brave

And if you have an hour or so of spare time, here is the link to the first portion of the documentary on artist Henry Darger...incredible. You can find subsequent portions on youtube.


lots o love!
Rachie

P.s What kind of music do you like to listen to when working on projects?

A little less sloppy?

Good morning, good morning!

I am in an incredibly good mood today. I leave for sunny warmth on sunday and I have just signed up for the indie business course! I hope that it can help with making my blog and my independent art sales ideas, a little less...well...sloppy.

There is much to learn and do when attempting to launch yourself in some capacity.

Did I tell you that my mom owns her own indie company? Its pretty cool, its called Ghost tours of Quebec, and they take you on a haunted walking tour of old Quebec city and provide you with dramatic storytelling in french or english. So the indie business thing is in my blood.



I think I will take a moment and tell you about my life and aspirations, have I told you this stuff before?


So here goes:
I have always been a creative gal, and have painted and sketched and crafted since forever. I was always the 'arty kid' in school and would make a hefty income drawing caricatures of classmates for a dollar each. I enjoyed painting with oils as a teenager and mostly focused on folky looking portaits. I know my parents display them at their house.
I also LOVED music and singing. I took vocal lessons in opera and participated in several musicals. I considered a future in opera but later decided I wasnt much for competition, Im the sensitive sort, but baby do I ever showboat at kareoke!
Although nothing can compete with Scott passionately ripping off his shirt while singing Enrique Iglesias.
I went to school for Social Services and have completed two diplomas in the helping profession and am presently a program Coordinator of non profit employment programs. At night I am completing my degree in Social Work and will continue to obtain my masters in art therapy so that I may someday have my own art therapy practice.
I am participating in the indie business program because I would love to have a future filled with providing art therapy as well as selling my art professionally.

Last night I drew a picture of my lovely kitty Waffles, she is so so so cute and pudgy, shes my little Lamb-ey.

xoxox
Rachie

Sugar-Pie-Honey-Bunch

V Day is commin up! Have you placed your order for a heart shaped pizza?

So what are you kids doing for valentines? Me? I am hopping a 2pm flight today to Sanibel Island in Florida and spending 10 days roasting in the sun...And trust me, its needed, the bitter cold here in Toronto is enough to make any snowbird fly south.

I have never been much of a Valentines kind of gal. I do recall being 20 and declaring to my then-boyfriends family, that I care nothing for Valentines day. At which point his dad stood up, grabbed the edge of the table and shook the table yelling 'ITS A TRAP! ITS A TRAP! Girls want Valentines day!'

That relationship ended and the years went by, and then at the ripe age of 23, I met my present partner, Scotty T. And I have had the happiest two and a half years of my life.

*The caption I wrote next to this picture says "Your Ugly Mug and My Ugly Mug are MFEO (made for each other, you know, like from Sleepless in Seattle?). And below that is a little picture I drew of him...it really looks like him!*

Scott is the type of guy, that even when I told him I didnt care about Valentines day, he went and planned dinner and flowers anyway...just because he wanted to show his love for me.

Every day I consider myself the luckiest girl in the world.

On a side note, other than a handmade card, here are a couple of Valentines gift ideas:

My friend Holly has some great new cards available on her Etsy shop here.

Pillow by Alexandra Ferguson.

And from my own home.....

My favourite orchid.
Potted flowers are a wayy better gift than cut flowers, especially orchids, so beautiful and during the winter they are half the price because they are in season!

Whats the weirdest Valentines gift you ever got?

Happy Birthday To one Coooool Cat

Happy Birthday To Andy! (This weekend we celebrate in style)

This guy is the best and always makes me laugh. I feel super lucky to have him as my friend.

If you get the chance, go see one of his shows he participates in at the Comedy Bar, he will make you laugh so hard, milk will come out your nose!

Love

Rachie

Weekend Hippy

Heres confession time.

I love 80's hippies...not the flower child 70's style...technically they are referred to as "granola", the kind that was a hippie but grew up and bought old victorian homes, wore their hair in a really long braid, always had aloe vera plants, wore oversized cream knit sweaters, had herb gardens, didnt believe in cable, refused to give up their giant glasses, drank tea out of mason jars and painted.

A few years ago, I lived on Mackinac Island in Michigan. And I worked at an art gallery/ neato antique store. The owner was an artist named Maeve, and she was one of these hippies.

You can see her art here.

I think I am most reminded of these things when I have some time to myself. And I put on my favourite painting music and giant glasses and just lose myself in painting

Be Well

Rachie

Mucho Bueno

As requested by Mucho Bueno

"If you have an amazing mailbox, please post it and let us know."

Art Turtorial and More Misty Jellyfish

A BIG post commin at ya!
This weekend was kinda a mixture of blah and eventful. Friday night I went out with some friends for my old coworkers birthday. We went for Ethiopian food, which is typically one of my faves. I dont know which part should have tipped me off: was it the fact that they didnt have the heat on? Or the mousetraps in the bathroom? But needless to say, all of us were a little green friday night and all of saturday.
On the plus side, Scott and I stayed in on saturday night and I had an awesome time eating my favourite coconut ice cream, reading Wide Sargasso Sea, and catching up on some much-procrastinated art work for our dining room.
It was so easy-peasy that I thought I would give you a brief tutorial! Here goes!

Get yourself a cheap map (mine was $12 bucks at Zellers) and a piece of MDF or particle board measured to just about one inch short of the border of the map. (Rona let us have this one for a buck and cut it down for us! Note to self: I owe Scott one dollar)

Using rubber cement or another adhesive that wont cause the paper to pucker, generously coat the piece of boad (tip: do this in small sections at a time as it dries fast and you are more sure to get a smooth and even adhesion)

Using a knife (or if you are fancy a wallpaper smoothie), section by section, smooth out the air bubbles.
When you are done, it should look something like this. I used my hot glue gun and folded the overhang of the map over the edges of the board and glued them to give it an even look.

I have been enjoying both sketching and Jellyfish lately, so I took the liberty of sketching some of my Misty Jellyfish to the board....which in hindsight kind of looks like sperm in photos.

Superbowl sunday was awesome! Not because I love football cause I dont, but because I got to catch up with some great pals at Glenns Superbowl Pot-Luck Gross out, and I got to chat with the lovely Liv who always impresses and inspires me with how creative she is. If you get the chance, saunter over to her blog and wish her well.

Be Well,

Rachie

Thats Bull (dogs?)

Hi Everyone,

My name is John and I am Rachaels stepfather. I like to send her pictures of bulldog puppies in the mail about once per month or so and she puts them up on her bulliten board. Her favourite picture is the one to the right, of the puppy in the quilt, even though you cant see it totally, trust me, its cute.

A Great Quote

New sketch: Misty Jellyfish, 2010, Rachael Speirs.

"You could be a rebel, a profound thinker and a rock n roll maniac and still eat breakfast, lunch , and dinner, have a baby and drink a nice cup of tea with your friends"- Pamela Des Barres.

Rachie

Be A Narcissist! Draw a Self-Portrait!

Some updates for you.

Over the weekend my mom was nice enough to give me an incredible upholsterd headboard...gets me one step closer to having my place on apartmenttherapy.com...a gal can dream right?

Seeing as disposable income doesnt exist in my life, its going to be a very very slow process of gatehring one piece at a time, like I did with my Owl-ey.

Owl-ey does love me so, just in time for valentines!

Have you guys checked out the awesome and cute valentines card idea from Elsie at A Beautiful Mess ? Its very cute and I hope to make one of some friends for valentines.

I remember having valentines as a kid in class and taping paper bags to the edge of our desk for our valentines. I plan on doing that for my coworkers this year!

On another note, Self Portrait!

I think I made my face to pudgy...and check out the feathered hair! You should try it out, its super fun.

xoxo

Rachie

p.s T looked at my self portrait and said it looks like a "very unattractive version" of me... I wonder if that reflects on my humility or my drawing skills. haha.