Over the past few days my motor has been on. I've been running around and around and around and then as often as I can, I've been stopping to stop. To slow down. To look more carefully. To figure out why I'm drawn to the figure again. And then just when I least expected it, the babies came.



A plague of babies has landed in my paintings (yes, I know you have theories, but no, big news soon, I got nothin' to tell ya). Sometimes this happens. I walk into my studio, I sit down to work, and imagery I don't expect emerges in my paintings.

When an idea erupts and surprises me, I'm prone to laugh and invariably it makes some sense. Of course there's a plague of babies! Ali is adorable, Little Sophia is a year old, good 'Sugar' Rae has been in this world a few weeks, teeny tiny Olive is brand new, and more are coming any minute. We've gotten half a dozen birth announcements over the past few months, I've been to my share of baby showers, and I'm no stranger to board books ...these vunerable little creatures are lurking everywhere. I'm especially amazed to see the way my artist friends have kids; they remain creative, productive, and flexible even if they are supporting another creature on the iffy incomes we are used to as artists.

The paintings here are very much in process and very likely to change radically. Honest critiques honestly accepted. I'm sure not sure of where they are going but the goal is not so much cute, as vunerable. I'm not a mother, I'm an observer and a messy painter.



And well, this auntie Rachael is excited about the paper sculpture show. They liked it in Pennsylvania and we'll like it here. I fully disclose that I work for the people behind the paper and I've seen lots of hard work go into putting on a good show . That's what I do, I observe, and lately I draw babies...You got a problem with that?

Good, I didn't think so...

take care,
Rachael

Oh, and Mark reminded me of the Cheap Art Manifesto from the Bread and Puppet folks , very inspiring and very much related to the ideas behind the manifesto I cribbed the other day. Yea, let's post these puppies everywhere ...