NEW YEAR, NEW NEWSLETTERFROM THE STUDIO OF RAQUEL P MILLER |
|
|
Hellllllllo, thank you for subscribing to my newsletter! January has come and gone, and it’s so crazy to me to think about how fast time moves. I feel like I can’t catch up. Ever since my mom died in September, I feel like time has melded these past 4 months into one long day--one long day that moves too fast and one that never ends. While the symbolic change of 2020 to 2021 is *nice*.... my life is so different now from September, but it is also still the same. Sometimes, I forget that I am moving at all. Disclaimer: I know this sounds emo and sad. It kinda is, but the reason I started this newsletter was to continue to share my art and my process. I started it to reflect on my art practice each month in an effort to remind myself that as much as it feels like I am stuck in this one long day, I am still a part of time that is moving forward. Even if I don’t feel like I am. Seeing the work I make reminds me that I am here. It is also one of my greatest sources of healing. I remember my first artist statement prioritized healing as my purpose in art. I changed it since then because honestly, I wasn’t sure if that mattered to other people or was edgy enough. But, it’s my truth I keep coming back to. Thank you so much for reading and for subscribing. I just want to share where I am at in a way that feels comfortable for me. My art is so important to me. It is such a valuable way for me to channel my emotions into something else, pain and sadness into healing. Sometimes, it’s as simple as showing up for myself each day no matter how small. Here’s what I’ve been working on this month: |
|
|
"Brake lights on New Year's Eve, 2020" Acrylic on canvas. 10" x 8" Biddeford Pool, ME This was the first painting of 2021. Kinda wanted to rip off the bandaid in a way. I painted this on New Year's day after tidying my studio. I just wanted to start fresh. |
|
|
This is a small self portrait I made on January 8th from a photo I took on September 22nd. I've been reminiscing about last January, when I was exploring watercolor and creating painting after painting because I was having so much fun. I'm trying to channel that exploration, but I've currently been focusing on color mixing in all mediums, and trying to hone my eye for value. It's been leaving me a little stiff and I've been trying to find ways to loosen up. I'm thinking of also trying some exercises in limiting the amount of marks I make on the paper. |
|
|
Image 1: A screenshot of a procreate sketch that I made back in mid-December. For the month of December I was very much into the use of blues. |
|
Image 2: I ended up creating 6 unique printings of this image I have entitled, "New year, full moon." They are 6" x 4" on birch panels. |
|
|
My block print on the wood panels didn't render the little stars as well as I would have liked so I might add those in. But I like the idea of exploring color through these block printed paintings. I've created some prints on paper with these images, but these feel more special to me. I will have these available for purchase within the next month or so. |
|
|
November walk with Marco (Shadows on the "One Blue Sky" mural wall) Biddeford, ME Acrylic on canvas. 10" x 8" 2021 My last day of work in March, I bought a bunch of stretcher bars. I didn't go back to work until June. But I stretched a bunch of canvases at the start of my "quarantine" and said I was going to make a bunch of paintings. LOL. I didn't paint a single painting on those surfaces. I have five 8" x 10" canvases, and several larger ones to work with. One of my goals this year was to paint on them, and to explore my color mixing and matching. So, I've been working a lot from photos I've taken. And in that--exploring memory. Reliving small moments, capturing light, and shadow. |
|
|
Image 1: "Eyes open, frozen in a dream," 2020. Watercolor and gouache on paper. 10" x 8" I think this isn't technically a January painting, I made it in December. But I wanted to share anyways. |
|
Image 2: A recent sketch from my current sketchbook. I started this on my lunch at work working from a Karl Blossfeldt photo book. I've been trying to draw more and practice my observational skills from photo references. I was pleasantly surprised by this because I was not expecting it to turn out so good. |
|
|
Things to look out for in the next month: - Shop Update!- My goal is to get some smaller works into my shop in addition to the photo prints I sell. If you're curious what's in there now, here is the link. I'm hoping to sell some photo prints to fund my next round of film development. And I wanted to have a place to share some work more accessibly. Shooting for end of February for this.
- Blog Posts-I started a blog but have yet to write in it. :) I do have some ideas and hope to have one in the next month. Interested in what my goal for the blog is, click here.
Thank you so much for making your way through my first newsletter. I hope you enjoyed the images, my latest work, and hearing a little bit about my process. In order to *celebrate* this first newsletter, I am offering a 20% coupon in my shop, valid from 2/1-2/14! Use NEWSLETTER1 for 20% off ALL items in my shop. I hope everyone is taking care of themselves in whatever ways they know how. I would love to hear any comments or feedback on the newsletter so please feel free to send me a message! -Raquel p.s. the format of the newsletter looks soooo nice on a desktop so if you're able to view there, please do! |
|
|
|
|
