We asked our Fall 2013 Art Retreat Instructor, Rachael, a few questions about herself and would love to share them with you now.
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Which Artist inspires you the most & why?: Two artists I am currently inspired by are Elsa Mora and Cal Lane. Elsa Mora because she works in many different mediums and seems to live a very creative life. I really admire her paper cut work because she has a very unique style of working. Cal Lane is an artist working with reclaimed industrial steel to create large-scale installations of cut metal in an illustrative style. It’s as if she’s translate paper cutting into metal.
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What would you love to try next, creatively?: At the moment I am trying to teach myself more about paper folding and creating three-dimensional forms from paper. I’m hoping to create more sculptural pieces with my paper cutting work.
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Where do you find your muse/inspiration?:I’ve learned I can find inspiration pretty much anywhere. From walking in the woods, to playing with materials in the studio, to having a conversation with another artist and exchanging ideas.
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I like to teach because:I enjoy sharing what I do with others because it allows me to learn from my students in return. I’m curious to see what someone else will do with the techniques I share, and often I do learn something new.
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The best part of living a creative life is:I live a happier and more satisfying life because I am tapped into my creativity on a regular basis. The best part is that I’m getting to do something I feel passionate about.
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What is the worst part of living a creative life?:There never seems to be enough time to do all of the projects I think up. I always feel like I am behind or that I’m not doing enough.
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What advice would you like to share?: The two most important things you need to lead a creative life are time and money. An artist/creative person can never have enough time to devote to their art, and that includes time to experiment and explore new ideas. The money part probably goes without saying.
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‘Being creative’ means : I’m not actually sure how to define creativity. I believe everyone is creative in some way, and creativity can take many different forms.
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What was your scariest creative adventure?: My scariest creative adventure is the one I’m on right now. I’m working full time as an artist and trying to turn this into a permanent gig. It’s very scary to do this at times because I don’t have a steady income right now. I would not be able to do this without the generous support of my partner, Boris.
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What makes your heart swell with joy?: My heart swells with joy when I walk around Vancouver is spring time and see all these beautiful flowering trees around the city. It’s such an incredible, magical sight.
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Three words to describe my work are: Meditative, intriguing, intricate.
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What creative tool can you not live without (so-to-speak)?: With my altered book work I could not live without access to old books. With my paper cut work I could not live without my art knife with a sharp blade and a simple piece of paper. The tools and materials I work with are pretty simple and I could not do my work at all without them.
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My favorite ‘pretend’ curse word is : I only use the real curse words unfortunately. 🙂
To see more of Rachael’s work:
- SIGN UP for her class at our retreat ~ CLICK HERE to register (printable pdf file)
- VISIT her webiste ~ www.rachaelashe.com
- WATCH her video on OPUS‘ ,one of our sponsors, website!
- LIKE her on Facebook
Rachael’s profile photo from facebook.
https://facebook.com/pages/Rachael-Ashe