Portrait of a lady

Aaah! So busy.

May not have been able to post today. But *phew* I did it.

Some things I am enjoying today:

Child artist Marla Olmsteads art

http://www.marlaolmstead.com/home.html (be sure to watch the video of her creating RAIN, as the fam got a lot of scrutiny over whether or not mumsy or dadzy was doing the art, documentary on her is awesome)

xoxox

Rachael

To Do....

Theres about a billion things that I want to do before this year is over...and not enough time.

Every year I make a Goal/To do list for that year. Then I seal it up and open it in one year to see if my goals have come true...

Its like magic because every time, I have achieved at least 90% of my goals.

But today I will share with you my goal list before the end of the year.

1. Finish 2 commissioned paintings

2. Create handmade christmas cards

3. Bake cookies as gifts

4. Repaint old chandelier

5. Find sailor blue accent pillows for bedroom

6. Pay off brutal recent couch purchase because the movers couldnt fit our original couch into our apartment...argh.

7. Go to the ballet

8. Put up twinkle lights

9. Build snowman with nephew

10. Work on portfolio

11. Have fantastic photographer and friend, Kelly McKenzie take pictures of me with some of my paintings for promo purposes. Check out the last pro pic that was taken of me in 2006...can you say identity crisis?...the hair!

xoxo

Rach

p.s

this just in...found in museummodernart 's photos from twitpic

Johnny Depp and Patti Smith...

Excitment in the Air

I know I know,

Its wayyy too early to talk about Christmas.

But the holiday season can be tremendously fun if you let it. Everyone is a little broke this year, and I hope that many of my loved ones will ask for art this year instead of storebought presents.


I will let you in on a little secret; I am extremely giddy to chop down my own christmas tree. I love the smell and the lights and I plan to handmake some ornaments. Sadly though, snow is beautiful for the first month...then after that, especially in the city, it becomes a mushy sludge of salt and goop and garbage....sigh.



In other news, the One of A Kind art and craft show is heading our way and I cant wait to attend!

http://www.oneofakindshow.com/xmas09/


There is soo much cozy-ness to be had this time of year and I would love to capture it in a painting. I had previously mentioned wanting to do a painting inspired by a crazy quilt, and I think its time I get on that.

I will now leave you with some images that inspire that oh so rustic warm feeling in me.





A cozy Kate bush in a cozy sweater with a cozy cup of tea....only made all the more special by a wine drinking Peter Gabriel




Someday I plan to have a wood burning stove that allows me to make rustic cozy stews.






I bet this guy looks like he knows how to keep warm......



And the creme de la creme, The Snowman, with a gorgeous intro from David Bowie. How could you not love that man? Its the whole video so its kinda long, but if you skip ahead to the middle-ish where the snowman and the boy take off flying...you will hear one of my fave songs. The kids in school when I was younger didnt like having to watch the video in class. They found it boring. But I LOVE IT, and the way the colours are are just perfect. Storybooks were amazing when I was a kid.






xoxox
Rachael

image sources: google images

An Inspirational Tap on the Shoulder

Colour me happy.

Lately I have been loving jewlery and this beautiful and darling girl I used to babysit, is now a grown up young woman and makes the most stunning jewlery. I am presently hunting her down to make me another necklace.

In the meantime, to tide me over, I will just have to enjoy looking at these beauties:

Both pieces are inspired by Hundertwasser:

Which reminds me of Huichol yarn paintings. Huichol art is made by coating a piece of wood with bees wax, and then using small strands of yarn to create images that reflect the Mexican Huichol tribes beliefs and spirituality.

Love,

Rachael

P.S you can KIND OF see the necklace the darling made me in this picture.

P.S.S would love, more than anything, to be able to afford a professional camera so all my pictures dont look like garbage on here. The pixels get completely messed up.

*fabric neclace by Gagaw Jewllery, all other images found via google images*

Acrylic Love

Good Morning,

Last night I had an eventful night. I am totally exhausted today but cant wait to make it home tonight to get creative. Its a wonderful thing to know that when you get home you have the opportunity to make your life completely meaninful... especially if, quite often, your day job as a lowly social worker, does not do this for you and your morning cup of coffee is also accompanied by a screaming client telling you it is your fault his children wont eat this week.

*I am here to serve, I am here to support, I can influence change in the world and empower the marginalized*

I wonder what my boss would say if she walked in and found me repeating this to myself while rubbing my temples?

But joy above joys, last night after work, I scuddled my fanny on down to my fave art store, and splurged a whole $47 buckaroos on a set of acrylic paints.

I have been meaning to transition into the world of acrylics, mostly because apartment living and oil paint are not BFF's.

Last night I started on an exciting piece, and I now have the luxury (because of rapid drying time) to stay in my inspirational bubble and complete it tonight. Pictures soon!

Love Always,

Rachael

The Story Behind Big Red

This piece has been, thusfar, my most special work. All paintings are special, but this one in particular achieved something extraordinary.

It had been a long time since I had last painted.

It was the late winter of 2009 and I had just gone through a very diffcult surgery. For years I had experienced really bad pain around 'that time of the month' , I had felt very blue about it because I thought I was abnormally fragile and just couldnt handle normal pain. It all had gone on far too long and in 2007 things got really really bad and the pain became a daily occurance, they had found several masses on my ovary. I wont bore you with the details, but for over a year I was perscribed tylenol 3 with codene and took them like candy.

Finally in 2009 I recieved the surgery that I refer to as 'life changing' .



It was a simple procedure that only took one day. I was fortunate to get the surgery and after I woke up in recovery, my surgeon told me that it was a good thing we did it, I apparently had endometriosis so bad that it had spread to the exterior of my uterus and was growing on my abdomen. She was able to remove it along with what thankfully turned out to be endometriomas (blood clots) and fibroids.



Any major gal with the same deal will tell you that the difference between pre-op and post-op is incredible. I felt like a new person.



The painting Big Red, was created after studying Art Therapy. I felt I needed some closure on the whole event an was coming to terms with accepting the reality that I may or may not ever be able to have kids. Every reason to hope though.



The creation of the piece was a moment of what Rollo May and Paul Tillich refer to as FLOW. Every part of me came alive and every cell of me wanted to tell this story, and to close the doors .



Interlayed in the piece are hidden images that communicate all feelings during that time. Dispair over fertility, joy, hope and even the harsh brutality of the whole event.



I believe it perfectly showcases that moment in my life, I find it to be a beautiful piece born out of something very very ugly.



Love,



Rachael



p.s I would love to hear about anyone else experiencing a moment where everything came together perfectly.

Dopplegangers

A BIG post!

So in checking out Google, to see what was up, I realized there is a site called SpiersArt......not SpeirsArt....but yes, SpiersArt...

Can you believe it!

I wonder how many people are trafficking over there thinking its this blog...or I could accept the fact that this is a quiet little corner of a room. Then again, the Spiers Art website appears to be much more substantial and experienced than mine, so perhaps by default, people will think it belongs to me! Should I correct them?..

Time has passed in my neck of the woods and halloween was a fantastic day. I love sharks and look forward to shark week on TV like little kids look forward to tons of presents under the tree...sometimes it doesnt matter whats in the boxes, just as long as there is lots!

Sharks are a fascinating animal. People have attempted to domesticate almost every animal on the earth, I even went to the zoo last year and petted a cuddly stingray. But sharks are impossible. I appreciate their stubborness. Often a wild person will refer to themselves as a lone wolf, I would think a lone shark is more suitable.

So for halloween, Scott and I dressed up as Eagle VS Shark.

Zissou (named after Steve Zissou from life aquatic..notice the theme? ) even joined in:


After Halloween came my mother and stepfathers wedding, being the old geezers they are, they decided to do a wedding in a warm location...better for the arthritis I am sure.

I feel at home by the ocean, however Bermuda seemed to have an energy about it that indicated a heavy past. I spent sometime at the museum and roaming the old prison on the island and learned about its history. One of the most impressive moments I encountered was viewing a massive mural that showcased the history of Bermuda. I didnt get many pictures because I forgot that flash photography and murals are not a good mix, because over time the flash breaks down the pigment.


Saying "good day" from the cannonball storage!

xoxox
Rachie