Tag: demo

We asked our Fall 2013 Art Retreat Instructor, Rachael, a few questions about herself and would love to share them with you now.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• ‘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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Three words to describe my work are:  Meditative, intriguing, intricate.

• 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.

• My favorite ‘pretend’ curse word is :  I only use the real curse words unfortunately. 🙂

To see more of Rachael’s work:

1. SIGN UP for her class at our retreat ~ CLICK HERE to register (printable pdf file)
2. VISIT her webiste ~ www.rachaelashe.com
3. WATCH her video on OPUS‘ ,one of our sponsors, website!
4. LIKE her on Facebook