BaptismBy Erika L. SánchezWhen the soft mouth of a word unhinges,it is sticky, it is feral. Beneath the plum treeI’ve woven my gray hair into a blanket.Do you think I’m pretty crouched like this?See, I am my own whore. Watch meswallow my own fingers. My head a wild tanglefull of creatures. Do you hear that [...]
Author: Rachel Imsland
Hi. I’m Rachel. An artist, feminist practitioner, and crone of compassion and wisdom living in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. I hold a bachelor of arts in studio painting and art education.
self portrait ideas 3.28.2019
For the 100 day project, I'm creating a daily self portrait. I don't want to feel stuck - with no ideas or creativity - on any particular day, so took some time for advance planning. Here's a list of drawing ideas I came up with. I don't have 100 different ideas, but don't mind repeating [...]
starting seeds 3.21.2019
I started seeds this week. The last frost date where I live, in Madison, Wisconsin, is around the first week of May. So I have about 7 weeks until then to get my plant babies grown large enough to transplant into my garden outside. All the seeds I'm starting in advance are flowers. The red [...]
hanging planters 3.14.2019
I'm in the process of making about half a dozen hanging planters. I thought this would be a great way to combine two of my favorite things: clay and plants! Above are two process shots: when I first threw the pots on the wheel, and just after I trimmed them and punched out three holes [...]
the 100 day project 3.7.2019
At the beginning of 2019, one of my goals was to draw every day. And I haven't done that. I've practiced creating almost every day, but not specifically drawing. I learned about The 100 Day Project somewhere on the interweb, and think this will be a good challenge for me. Here's the link if you [...]
art quote – oyler 2.28.2019
There are many noncomprehensive adjectives we can apply to good art: moving, clever, joyous, sad, innovative, boring, political. But good art doesn’t have to be any of these things, necessarily; what we want out of it is possibility. -Lauren Oyler
winter color fun 2.21.2019
In Wisconsin, this January and February brought some very cold temps and a LOT of snow! I try to take a daily walk, but sometimes icy sidewalks and frigid temps have kept me home bound. To help get me outside on the worst days - at least out into my own yard - I made [...]
sunflower painting 2.14.2019
Last summer I took a watercolor class taught by local watercolorist Lucy Shirek. One of our projects was a sunflower, and part of the plant was supposed to be painted outside the border of the main painting. During one of my daily walks, I stopped by the nearby community gardens where giant sunflowers are grown [...]
art quote – Campos-Pons 2.7.2019
"I always tell my students in every class: We are here because of art. We are sitting in this room talking and sharing because of art, but not just because this is an art class. We are here as humans because art is our safe keeper. Our destiny keeper. The landscape of our journey. We are [...]
“Old in Art School” book 1.31.2019
Recently I finished reading "Old in Art School - A Memoir of Starting Over" by Nell Painter. This is a tale of an black/African American/non-white female who left her successful career (Edwards Professor of American History, Emerita, at Princeton University) to attend art school at the age of 64. Painter returned to school as an [...]
