November 13, 2011 in art, doilies, dream catchers, Portland
I can’t believe the Day of the Dead show will be down in another week! It’s going to be 2012 in like 10 minutes!! But it got a nice write up on OPB.org. Nice going Stephanie Brockway for curating this show.
Screen shot slide show image of Nightmare Catcher
Screenshot of the article
Nightmare Catcher
Nightmare Catcher Detail
October 31, 2011 in art, Portland Oregon
I lived in Mexico for a semester in college. It was right after my mom passed away (she was a hospice nurse and was 49 when she died, but that’s another story). I was in Mexico City, and also Oaxaca. I spent some time at Frida Kahlo’s house in Coyoacan, and wept next to her bed where her body cast lay. It really changed my perspective on death. I continue to be inspired by the retablos and other Dia De Los Muertos art from Mexico, and every so often I create my own pieces along those lines.
This year, I picked Amy Winehouse. I’m a huge fan, and when we moved across country, I had her on the stereo. I sold this piece on my Etsy store, and had to create another for the show I’m in this month at Guardino Gallery in Northeast Portland. I also made Frida Kahlo retablo for the Day of the Dead show at Cannibals Gallery in Northwest Portland. Huge thanks to Darlene Schaper of Relica Vintage for connecting me with the Cannibals show.
I love dressing up as a sugar skull for Halloween! I’ll never have to figure out a costume again! This year I even got a few gigs doing pre-party face painting! I even have a Day of the Dead inspiration board on Pinterest.
October 30, 2011 in art, Portland Oregon
The Alberta Arts District in Portland, Oregon is an amazing neighborhood full of awesome restaurants, the best ice cream I’ve ever had, and a “Last Thursdays on Alberta” event that is like a mix of Commercial Street in Provincetown and uhhh…Burning Man? It’s a carnival atmosphere that is largely self-regulated, with the help of Alberta Main Street’s community organization. You basically can show up on last Thursday with your stuff, and sell it on the street. No cost, no permit, first come, first serve. Then at night there’s all manner of parades, street parties, live music, food, and artsy events. It’s crazy!
Anyway, I love what they’re doing and they love what I’m doing and we’re in love! I’m grateful to be their Featured Artist for October…visit Alberta Main Street if you’re ever in the area.
Here’s their Facebook page(s):
https://www.facebook.com/albertamainstreet
https://www.facebook.com/lastthursdayonalberta
Here’s a screenshot of their website with my blurb…and some pics I took on Last Thursday in August.
screen shot of Alberta Main St. newsletter
musician at Last Thursday on Alberta
Chaba Thai on Alberta St.
Wanderlust mobile shop
Put a bird on it.
October 30, 2011 in henna & mehndi
temporary henna tattoos are a fun and beautiful way to commemorate an event (such as a wedding, pregnancy, birthday, etc.).
i do intricate henna paste lines, patterns, and shapes both traditional and customized. i’ve worked on bellies, hands, feet, arms, legs, shoulders, and am happy to do small or large designs.
pregnant belly henna for a new mom!
pregnant belly henna!
these belly designs took about an hour. my rate of $60/hour includes the henna, a pre-consultation, and amazing photographs to download, print, and share! more examples of my henna work can be found on this Flickr set.
my leg!
Treat yourself! Email me: rachael[at]rachaelrice.com.
rachael doing mehndi
fresh mehndi
August 10, 2011 in photography, travel
In July we sold nearly all we owned and packed up the rest out of a three bedroom farmhouse in Montpelier, Vermont and put it in a tiny U-Haul trailer which we hauled across the United States with our dog to start a new life in Portland, Oregon. Where it isn’t winter for six months out of the year. And the gigs are more plentiful.
I’ve lived in Vermont off and on since 1991, with some travels elsewhere, but for lots of reasons, I stayed long after I knew I was ready to move on. But that’s another story for another time.
My man Dan Haley was a fixture in PDX back in the day, so it was a natural place to head off to, as I wanted to be somewhere on the best – I mean west – coast. Here is a little snapshot of the travels.
Everything we own fits in a 10' trailer.
WE'RE READY!!
Goodbye Montpelier!
On the road...
A diner in Pennsylvania...or was it Ohio?
Michigan barn
entering the flat lands...
roadside lolz
America: it still exists!
Iowa
Nebraska
Boulder, Colorado
Windmills
Wyoming
Wyoming
A storm in Idaho
Great Salt Lake
on the beach at The Great Salt Lake
Boise, Idaho
two favorite men
Boise record store
entering Oregon
Columbia River
Multnomah Falls
Me at the falls
The Beak at the falls!
Here’s a video on Facebook of us entering Portland:
May 25, 2011 in craft, doilies, dream catchers, feathers, jewelry, nature, necklace, sculpture
sweeeet. got a guest artist spot over on the always-inspiring free people blog.
i love sharing how to make stuff.
here’s a basic way to make a little dream catcher. riffing on the round object with danglies (found in every culture) i’ve been (finally) finding uses for my slightly embarrassing doily collection.
also featured here are diy doily crystal necklaces. my friend heather treasure cautions mindfulness about sourcing quartz and other crystals, and recommends arkansas crystal works.
from the building 25 free people blog
dream eyes & god catchers
object with vintage trims and detail view
start here
start here. i used a bangle. tie string, loop around.
keep looping around, and when you get to the beginning...
catch the loops and weave the string through each one. back to front or front to back, it doesn't matter as long as you are consistent
keep spiraling in until it gets too small to work with. add a bead and tie off. add feathers, etc. and you're done!
pastels or crayons, watercolors, collage elements
draw with pastel or crayon, add collage elements, and paint over.
cut out, draw designs with markers. i like sharpie paint pens.
finished product, and "dark star"
doily, lace & quartz necklaces
wrapped in wire, held by a piece of vintage lace
quartz necklaces & lace
the piece i sent to julia at fp
April 27, 2011 in nature
…terraria?! i made mine by getting some activated charcoal from the pet store, and put a layer of that, a layer of pebbles, a layer of soil, and tromped around the woods for fun mosses and whatnot. i even made a tiny one out of a horseradish jar.
from the front with the lid off
terrarium interior
from above
lid on
terrarium interior
from above
terrarium interior
tiny terrarium
tiny tiny terrarium!
nature!
March 30, 2011 in craft, dream catchers, fashion, feathers, jewelry, necklace, sculpture
vermonthealers.org held its second annual spring expo and i was a vendor! it was great practice for the holy grail that is portland, oregon’s crafty wonderland, which totally blew my mind in December.
some of my wares included galaxy nebula apparel which i bleached, dyed, and then painted, various necklaces made from chains and quartz crystals, some flower head pieces, and some giant “dream catcher” sculptures, one of which was the first piece of art purchased by a 13 year old on her birthday.
flower head pieces at the Expo
wares
my table
"gold dust"
"dark star"
quartz crystal necklaces
Expo interior
quartz crystal necklaces
dream catchers
head piece with feathers & vintage button
head piece with peacock feathers & vintage brooch
headpieces
DIY galaxy apparel
photo of me and my table
December 20, 2010 in craft, doilies, holiday
i’ve been making bath salts for friends for several years now, and it’s always at the last minute before the holidays in december. i get like five pounds of epsom salts and stand in my kitchen and bathroom scanning for random herbs and essential oils i can throw together for gifts.
this year i scrounged around and found some dried clementine peels (god knows why i was keeping those), some “panic button” essential oil (lavender, petitgrain, neroli, tangerine, rose), some coriander seeds and some cardamom pods. i put the dry materials in the coffee grinder and mixed them with the salt. some glitter for good measure.
covered the jars with some paper and glued some lace and cut up doilies on the side, ET VOILA. done!
bath salts
bath salts up close
more bath salts
October 19, 2010 in art, craft, garden, nature, print, reuse, trash
all those leftover veggies from the garden can make some nice prints!
these were made from cut lettuce heads, apples, and leaves with acrylic paint on canvas:
lettuce core rose
apple core & parsley print
rose from lettuce core
apple core star print
apple core star print pattern
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