Forgive me my rusty haikus but a couple two or three things in my life are possible right now. These are changes big and medium sized which would present opportunities for growth, changes which are (for the most part) out of my own direct control. All of my wise advisors tell me to relax and be patient and remember that everything has a reason. If I don't get win these lotteries, I will be fine but if I do I will be able to grow some of my ideas even better and bigger.

While everything remains in the maybe category, I've decided to jump two feet first into this new year and take some chances/risk a little more even by:

Pledging to send something out every Friday. Now maybe this means slides for shows or letters to old friends or rebate offers for the fact that they have been offered. But for 52 Fridays (or 51 since I'm starting a little late) I will drop something into the mailbox. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Painting is good for me, keeps me out of trouble, and I will keep painting. Once upon a time I used to get into the studio every single morning, I'll try it again even if it is for a few minutes and just a brushstroke or two.

Writing more, sharing more, listening better. I'll try to be a better blogger by posting better and more frequent bits and pieces and being better at responding (generally through email) to your comments, I really do read them...

May your year be starting with as much potential as I feel. Sure it's scary but what isn't?
take care,
Rachael

The small drawing of my cat above was on a old library card tucked into a pocket in the moleskin like sketchbook I took with me to Cumberland Island last September. As I mentioned earlier, it was stolen by raccons and recovered by nice people who returned it to me. The book is more beautiful to me because of it's history of lost and found and because the water, weather, and bacteria obscured some images and highlighted others. Below are the best images I could gather of the most interesting pages.









Keep your sketchbooks dry friends, never leave them out at campsites with granola, and put your name and number in the front. Other than that, what we draw will be whatever kind of record is willed...

take care and happy new year!
Rachael

It amazes me daily to see how many mazillion emails I have, pieces of paper, ideas floating in my head and sketchbook. As the end of the year crees closer, I am frantically clearing out and so it seems right to share some of the stuff I found...

Ideas on the web (sent from friends and comrades and well worth exploring):

Unknown Sitter matches memory, story and idea with images

Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay about Circles

a New York Times review of a show I wish I'd seen about amateur drawing

The Rubin museum's Explore Art website

ze frank's Draw Toy

this one reminds me of my fantastic newly 10 year old red-headed neice who loves this stuff
clearing out is good work
next will be re-connecting
and then, maybe, sleeping...

take care
Rachael

Nice to sit around and stick candycanes in coffee cups, talk about the whatevers, watch the tree sparkle and know that this is another year we didn't have to run around airports. My brother draws me drawing him and we both geek-out in appreciation of our new sketchbooks. We'll drive back home later tonight, eat leftovers, tease the cat, and go to bed early.

For the holiday, two bathtubs in one week, file under oddly related ideas:

A book of poems I gave my mom, Pity the Bathtub it's forced embrace of the Human Form by Matthea Harvey and

and then following the forced embracing of bathtubs and other lingering water thoughts...This surprising little Amy Jenkins video installation I stumbled upon at the Johnson Museum last week...

so then Merry Christmas, happy new

Rachael

I'm spellbound by this drawing by Zou Fulei at the Freer collection. It's hard to imagine spring growth under the blanket of snow outside my door, but this drawing is spectacular...
Rachael