We're back in this little city, hot as hades, but happy here as we were there. Atlanta seems to be growing at a pace even faster than it was when we left (condos to the left, condos to the right), but our friends and favorite places are still where they need to be. Growing at a reasonable pace, not like kudzu.

Now that we are back, we can continue to explore this place. Radical bike tours might help and even if I just walk around my block with it's quiet and simple growth, and think about how liuving where one wants to live can be a polictial act, it's good. I'll keep picking my garden salad, figuring out what visual studies is and if it is possible to look at and talk about visual images without being blinded by theory, and getting back to the routines we have and generally enjoy.

Lucky kids that we are to have great friends in both worlds...

take care,
Rachael

We're off tomorrow to the city we lived in for many years, the hot Southern town we learned a lot in. I can't tell you how excited I am to see Hogan and Rae and Toni and Rick, to meet Mr. Robin Rubin, to see draw something with Lisa, to go to the coffeeshop/dogpark with Wendy (what could be more better?), and to spend some days at vacation pace in a place we remember fondly but we know changes quickly.

A few of our favorite ATL haunts (where I'm itchin' to go besides our good friend's porches):

Eyedrum is the artist's run gallery/ music venue that took some good risks and had great creative people around all the time

Aurora coffee where I'm sure I would run into an old studio-mate and where it is really nice to watch people and drink the best iced-coffee in town

When we come back it is back to responsibility and routine for the rest of the summer but that's pretty good too.

see ya soon,
Rachael

The jazz fest is filling my town with music. I had a chance to sketch to the Dave Glasser Quartet yesterday. The exerience (a good band playing tightly in front of an appreciative audience in a fancy venue in the late afternoon) was so inspiring, I filled a couple of pages and looked, listened, and exerienced the music. It's easy for me to forget how much I love to draw live performances but each time I do, I get to feel that much more engaged in the activity.

The other thing I want to tell you about is this fantastic kids book illustrated by Milton Avery and (i think) never published. It's about the most charming thing I 've seen today but then it's only 2 in the afternoon and there's still time for more charm.

I'll leave you with a paper doll I made a few months ago and found undereath a pile of papers.



See ya,
Rachael

We're back home after a trip to Washington and Virginia where we saw wonderful people get married, enjoyed the company of a great hospitable old friend, and wandered until we could no longer wander. The coming home and starting back into well-worn routines was tricky but then I looked in the backyard to find big fat redder than red oriental poppies blooming. These were plants I didn't think much of; bought 'em at a YMCA neighborhood plant sale and stuck 'em into the ground last year but ... they rocked my garden.

Today I came home from work to find some kind of varmit bit the heads off a bunch of 'em but still, I'm happy with my poppies.

One of the finds of my museum-going in DC was Honore Sharrer at the Reynolds center. Big ideas and little brushes. That pretty little housewife made a magnificent painting with so much to tell about America and I spent a good chunk of time looking.

take care,
Rachael

I saw my family this weekend and there's an odd thing about the similarities between my brother's art and mine. Sure, we had the same art teachers in school, went to the same art college, and constantly kept our own sketchbooks. But as I travelled across the state via train, I sketched a crowd of people. A few hours later in the living room of our parents house, my brother doodled as I talked. He was drawing a crowd of people.

I think that says something about our love of art and fascination with people. Also, maybe can spur you to draw, too.

take care,
Rachael