"Stripping Away The Layers"

This is one of my latest collages. I've been drawn to the simplicity of working in black and white lately. It's been fun, but I love color too much to stray for very long.

Lines become Life

Hey everyone!

I need you're help in voting for a design I created. Everyone PLEASE take a moment and score my design for a t-shirt on threadless.com. It will be up for 7 days, and in that time, I need as much support as possible, in order for it to go to print! If you don't like it - no worries, you don't have to vote. BUT If you really do like it, feel free to give it a great score! If it goes to print i get $2,000, and much needed exposure!

You can score the design by following the link below, or by clicking HERE. (I'm pretty sure noaccount is necessary to score the design). Thank you in advance!

Score This Design!

Moby Dick, Bees Wearing Crowns, A Violion, and Coffee

What do these things have in common? They are the subject matter featured in my art prints of course! These high quality prints can be produced on paper, canvas, and even laptop/phone cases. Different available sizes makes them affordable for all. You can purchase yours HERE.




Moby Dick (The White Whale)

Griselda

Coffee man

Crown of Bees

Architectual Ceramics

I thought I would mix it up a bit and focus on ceramics today or more particularly, the work of Cameron Crawford. During my undergrad studies at CSU Chico, Cameron was a teacher in the ceramics department. Recently while cleaning out my closet, I came across a post card promoting one of his past gallery shows. On the front was a picture of one of his pieces - I had forgotten how beautiful they were.

While he has a large body of work, many which are brightly colored, I am particularly drawn to the pieces that have soft neutral tones. To me, these are the most reminiscent of old buildings in a state of decay. They evoke the same reaction in me that I once had in an old abandoned theater. It was both hauntingly beautiful and strangely sad to look at. The theater was filled with gorgeous, ornate details in the architecture and furnishings. Unfortunately, years of neglect had taken their toll. Drapes were torn and disintegrating, plaster was crumbling and the balcony was falling apart. Despite such advanced decay, it was not hard to picture what it must have looked like at the peak of its time. In some ways, it's faded beauty was even more striking now, made prominent in the rubble. What was left had stood the test of time. It was quite moving. Needless to say, Cameron's pieces always remind me of that theatre and I wanted to share them today.

Living Exteriors

I have recently started getting back into assemblage and I have to say, it has been incredibly rewarding. Day after day I wake up inspired and ready to work. It's as if the pieces just come pouring out of me. And collecting the materials is just as fun. Whether it be beach combing for driftwood, creek walking for stones, or yard-saling it up for discarded "junk," I always seem to end up with something special. I work with found objects, which personally makes it more interesting and engaging for me. I'm particularly fascinated by old scrap wood and hardware. It leaves me wondering where each object has been. Was it once shiny, new and loved? Was it part of someones home? If so, who lived there? It's interesting to speculate on its past and on the trajectory that brought it to it's current state of decay.

The last few days have ended in excellent treasures. Yesterday I was able to nab some ornate table legs, broken statue feet and various other interesting tidbits, after responding to an ad for free scrap wood on Craigslist. Today I explored an old abandoned shack in the middle of the woods, and was able to find all sorts of old rusty hardware and interesting pieces of wood laying buried amongst the ruble. I now have enough supplies to keep creating for several weeks. Just thinking about it makes me happy. Above is a piece I finished this afternoon. I'd like to think i've used these discarded parts to create an intimate little piece of architecture all in its own. I'd be very interested to hear other peoples thoughts or reactions to the above piece.

Time To Spread My Wings

This year has brought about many changes in my life, which has inspired me to bring about even more change. Particularly, I have been focusing on what I can do to create more happiness and meaning in my life. As a first step, I have decided to start taking more risks (in a good way) and not letting myself be held back by fears and "what-ifs". In the spirit of this new and exciting time of branching out and exploring the world in new ways, I created this collage. It's a friendly reminder that taking chances in life doesn't have to be a scary thing. Infact, many times it can be quite a fun adventure. ...And away we go!

Science Meets Whimsy

Talk about the find of the day. I stumbled across these illustrations by biologist, philosopher and artist Ernst Haeckel, and immediately fell in love with his work. While I have the utmost respect for scientific drawings, I have always found them to be a bit stark, detatched and lacking in personal expression. Which is, of course, the purpose of them: to portray something as a biological record, not a personal interpretation. It has always struck me as a bit of a paradox really. Yet there is something different about the illustrations of Ernst Haeckel. They seem to have an emotional quality to them, while still remaining faithful to true scientific form. It's as if Scientific illustration merged with Art Nouveau into some glorious new fusion.

To view more information on Ernst Haeckel, who was quite an interesting man, click here.
You may also purchase a book of his illustrations on Amazon, titled Art Forms in Nature: The Prints of Ernst Haeckel

Lin Olofsdotter Illustrations

These beautifully vibrant pieces are created by artist Lin Olofsdotter. They are full of rich vibrant colors and heavy shapes which she has managed to combined with delicate line weight in each illustration. The result is pure whimsical goodness. For more on this artist, visit her official site here.

Words Create Worlds

These beautiful images are from a brilliant ad campaign for Anagram Bookshop in Prague, Czech republic. I could look at these all day. They are absolutely fantastic.

Assemblage Using Found Objects

Today I pulled out all sorts of objects and art supplies I've been collecting and spread them all over my living room floor. Going through these objects, I'm so inspired! I've decided to start a new series of assemblage pieces. Some will be short projects, that I will complete in a day. Some will take weeks. What's important is that it will be an ongoing process, and I will constantly be creating. Below is the first of my series, made entirely from found objects.

Plight of the Sheep

My Artist Facebook Fan Page

Join me on facebook and get updates on new art, works in progress and more! You can become a fan by following this link here. While you're there, feel free to leave a comment in the guest book (found under discussions) and say hi!

Internet Crazy!

I'm back! I took a long break from this blog while I finished up my graduate school program, but I can now officially say I have my master's degree in illustration!! It's going to take some getting used to, but I'm actually going to have free time on my hands to focus on building my career as an artist, and creating work that I love!

As a first step, I've been working on my official artist website, which is now up and running. Check it out when you get a chance, I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on my work!

http://www.Rachaelshankman.com

Wonderfull Illustrations of Simone Jessup

I stumbled across these illustrations by Simone Jessup today. I think they are absolutely gorgeous - especially the bird one. Each one of her illustrations are different, and I highly recommend visiting her website.

My Newest Collage

"Poems by a Little Girl"


This is the project I've been working on for the last two weeks. After being unhappy with my initial version, I was reluctant to start over after so much hard work. But I'm glad I did, because this version was much more successful in my opinion. If you'd like to inquire about prints, you can in the comment section of this post, or by contacting me in my etsy shop at http://www.trublue.etsy.com/ Generally, prints in my shop are priced as follows:
4x6 .................$8
5x7................$10
8x10..............$15
I can also do special orders prints on canvas or watercolor paper. Pricing for this extra service depends on each individual order.

I'm featured today on L.M. GLAM's Blog

You really must check out her blog. You can see her amazing work there, as well as the work of other featured sellers. You can even have a chance to win some of it! Check it out at http://www.lmglam.blogspot.com/

My Treasury Made the Front Page of Etsy!!!

Unfortunately I missed it! Since I already spend way to much time on there, I decided I would take a break yesterday so that I could attend to some of the other neglected areas of my life. And what happens? My treasury makes the front page. The one day I'm not on etsy and the thing I want most to happen happens. Still you've got to laugh. I'm happy just knowing it made it anyway. But I'd be alot happier if I could find a screen shot of it!

Tips on How to be More Earth Conscious with Your Packing and Gift Wrapping

I received something in the mail yesterday from ebay, and I found the seller's choice in packaging very disturbing. The item itself was about 3" long, and weighed no more that a few ounces. Yet it came wrapped up in a wad of bubble wrap the size of a grapefruit. This in turn was surrounded by a hefty amount of packing paper, and the whole thing was in a big box.

When I see things like that, it makes me wonder what the seller was thinking. I figure it can only be one of two things: either they don't know any eco-friendly was to package items, or they do, but just don't care. While I can't help with the latter, I can certain provide people with a few tips on how to wrap and package items effectively, while minimizing its impact on the earth. Here are some tips for a greener way to wrap and send your delicates.

1. Get Creative With Your Wrapping Paper:

• I found that recycled brown paper makes a very simple and beautiful wrapping paper. It is especially beautiful if you finish with a nice silk ribbon (the brown really offsets the colors) or some sort of natural touch, such as a sea shell or some small flowers. You know that ever-growing collection of brown paper grocery bags that you hate to throw out, but never seem to have a use for? Now you can finally put them to good use, by using their reverse side (the side without the print).


• Newspaper is a great alternative to informal wrapping jobs. However, if you need something a little fancier, use pages of book print. Now before you go cutting up perfectly good books, I suggest finding ones at thrift stores or yard sales that already have some damage to them. I was able to find several old books that had been in a flood and had severe water damage. While many of the pages were ruined, a great deal of them were perfectly intact and salvageable. You can leave the book print white, or give it a quick antique look by soaking the page in tea or coffee, then drying them under a heavy item (this prevents the paper from wrinkling as it dries).
  

2. Lose the Styrofoam Packing Peanuts!
Try these ideas instead:

• Use the cast offs from your paper shredder as filler to your packages.


• Use your left over plastic grocery bags to pack delicate items in.


• Get creative with egg cartons! They are great for protecting a large array of items.


• Save and boxes or bubble envelopes that you receive in the mail and re-use them


• Take advantage of Cornstarch Packing peanuts. They are truly the best. They are made of 100% cornstarch, so they are edible (although I wouldn't recommend it). They dissolve completely in water and leave no toxic waste behind. These packing peanuts were originally created with the intention of being a breakfast cereal, but because of it's poor taste, it was re-purposed as a packing material. You can buy these from almost any moving company, or on the web. For a recipe and directions on how to make your own cornstarch packing peanuts, click here.

3. A Few Last Things to Remember:

• Ship early to avoid having to ship by air. Energy costs for sending a package for next day delivery are four times higher than the cost of ground shipping. So try to use ground shipping whenever possible.


• Make sure you use enough material to protect and secure your item, but don't go overboard. Use only what you need.

Now your on your way to greener packaging! Keep up the good work, and thank you for your interest in staying green.

Eco Friendly Featured Artist: Unconventionalida

She has Always Loved the Trees

Today's featured artist is Unconventionalida. I saw her work and was instantly charmed by her unique style and unforgetable characters. There is a sweetness and warmth to each of her paintings, along with a touch of meloncholy. Unconventionalida sells both originals and prints, with a price range to fit any budget. All of her paintings are done on recycled wood.


Here's what she says about her work:
"I whole heartedly LOVE every character that comes out of my pen. Everything is a magnificent choice for me..the type of wood I will use, the grain, a male or female, old or young...The wood that I use is "rescued" from a cabinet shop in the Bitterroot Mountains.*I can't bear to see lovely wood burned just because it isn't large enough*"

The Queer Little House on the Hill

Bianca, the Albino Twin

The Lollipop Forest in Blue

You can visit her shop at http://www.unconventionalida.etsy.com/

Featured Collage/Photomontage Artists

"Encounters of the mind"

Click here to view this collage in my shop

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I decided to bring some of my collages out of retirement, and sell prints of them in my shop. In honor of this, I decided to focus today's blog on collage. So I hit the web to discover other collage artists out there. There are many different styles of collage existing, but I noticed that I tend to be drawn to similiar types. Here are a few pieces that struck my attention for one reason or another

"The Jack of all Trades" by Mister "Michael David Jerome Hoffmann Koppa" (as he calls himself)


"The Pathway Home" - by Kim Birdsong

"Given" - by David Wallace

Eco Friendly Featured Artist: Infusion

Half Moon Sling - made from reclaimed cotton and ripstop

Todays featured artist is Infusion, who creates her work from beautiful recycled, natural fabrics. Using such materials as organic hemp, linen, cotton, silk, wool and kapok, Infusion's pieces not only look and feel great, they also come with peace of mind. And with prices compareable to that of traditional fabrics, you can't go wrong.

Here's what she has to say:

"Here at infusion, we are all about Life. There is a new focus needed. Let's work toward sustaining Life. Infusion products are made with reclaimed, recycled, organic and sustainable fibers and fabrics. We love to emphasize what is natural, reduce the toxic load, and lighten our footstep on the earth..."

You can visit her shop at http://www.infusion.etsy.com/



Hemp Tote - Made from 100% Organic Romanian Hemp

Herbal Infusion Pillows - made of reclaimed raw silk, and organic hemp. Filled with Sage and Lavendar.