Dear World,

Dear World Wide Web,

It’s been far too long since I’ve paid any attention to my website.

It’s been a long time of settling in to new work, new direction, and a new city.  I’m still feeling a bit of a creative lull since all of the upheaval of the last chapter, but I’m counting on it being the creative equivalent of a long, REM nap — the kind you wake up from, feeling like Jello and thinking, “Wow, I must have reeeeally needed that.”  (And a creative lull for me means that I’m only working on one project at a time, not 7.)

I’ve rented out my cozy Hamilton home and moved to the capital of this great country, Ottawa Ontario, Canada.  For the last six months I’ve been an Animation Supervisor for one of the very best kids’ shows on television today (Sure, I’m a little biased, but ratings don’t lie either!)
Wild Kratts is the animated series by Chris and Martin Kratt -”The Kratt Brothers”- who are more widely known for their success in creating, “Zoboomafoo”, “Kratt’s Creatures” and “Be The Creature”.  Their in-house presence in the studio really brings a great life to the work place, along with an amazing and wise-beyond-his-years director, Simon Paquette, and so many other open and caring crew members.  It’s a creative environment you don’t often come across in the work place — the the sort of personality that SHOULD be present in every art studio.  I’ve always said that the personality of leadership trickles down through any organization, and this place happens to be caring, wise, quick to laugh, and slow to anger.  That says a lot to me about the individuals.

On another note, we have studio pets:
Meet two of the three lobby Turtles, Tortuga and Tortilla:

I’m still working on getting together my new street performance project, Faunus, which, while becoming more and more realistic looking and coming together as a character, still has a long way to go in functional reverse-stilt construction.  I’ve had to pass that job on to a real stilt-maker.  While that gets dreamed up better, a fellow Animation Supervisor in the cubical next to mine, artist, Jason Hall, is working on real Warrior Princess armour for Faunus.  She is going to be a strong matriarch of wherever it is she comes from.

On the Franken Toy front, I’ve temporarily pulled the plug on them.  I have some serious carpal tunnel syndrom and complex tendinitis (also the reason I’ve switched gears in street performance, from chalk art to Faunus).  And although the toys have been my best viral works of art to date, I can’t justify the strain they put on me and on my chances of healing.
I may get back into them when I’m not already doing so much with my arms, but until then they’ll just be a lovely bunch of photographs for people to blog about.  And maybe the occasional personal gift.

That said, it is official that the Kratt Brothers love Franken Toys:

So much so that Chris (seen above with a gifted Wild Kratts Franken Creature) bought Robo Reggie for one of his sons.

So… I suppose that’s all I’ve got to post for today.  I’ve finally gotten another great job, I’ve managed to keep my house and my two cats, and in one month I’ll be moving into a cute, little apartment right in the heart of down town Ottawa where I look forward to being able to paint again.  I`ve still got goals and plans, but I refuse to have expectations.  Six months ago I did not see myself here.  But being here now - it`s a good thing.

PS: I`ve also started taking roller derby lessons with the Capital City Derby Dolls.  So don`t mess with me.  I`ll crap you up good!

More PHranken Toys in Foto Album… wait. strike that. reverse it.

Creature Power!

Well, this is it.  One month to go before I move to our Country’s capital.  Boxes are being packed and repacked, and room rental is being arranged.

Hands have healed well enough to function.

In the west suburb of Ottawa, Kanata, is a fresh, exciting studio called Wild Kratts, named for the show that created it, “Wild Kratts“, and run by its name sakes, the Kratt Brothers (Martin and Chris).
I’m really excited about the quality of this show.  Not only the animation quality, but for its ability to entertain and educate both children and adults.  I find myself learning things about animals, just from researching the show.  And with  past successes like “Kratt’s Creatures” and “Zoboomafoo“, they’re kind of a big deal.
I applied to the studio as an animator, had a nice skype interview while suffering from laryngitis, and got hired as an animation supervisor.  I’m pumped and I’m ready and I’m sewing a Zaboomafoo Franken Toy with lobster power!
Between packing and watching Kijiji for rentals, I’ve been getting up to snuff on Toonboom tutorials.

So, my lovely Hamilton home (which I took off the market) has been handed over to a property management company and will leave me free to exlore Ottawa.  I’ll probably become friends with the Prime Minister’s family, get a key to the house and sleep on their futon from time-to-time.

More Prints Available!

There are more prints available!

Order one of the following 8.5×11″ prints for yourself or a loved one.
$25 per order, shipping included within North America.  Add $10 for overseas shipping.
And by all means, larger donations are welcome!

“Great Beyond 1″          “Great Beyond 2″          “CBC 1″

“Chair”          “Day:1″          “Safe”
Send orders to retch10@hotmail.com via Paypal with a message stating your name, mailing address and which print(s) you’d like.
Also, it would be ideal to let me know if your paypal email address is not your contact email address, just in case of questions or delays.

As I heal, look for a job that doesn’t require my arms, each order I receive helps me out.

Thank you so much to everyone who’s already donated and ordered from me.  I truly appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Rachel.

Faun-tastic

I haven’t updated my site in ages.  There are far too many reasons to explain.  One of those reasons (and one of the reasons I don’t care to take the time to explain) is the first of two carpal tunnel surgeries.  I shouldn’t really be typing. …Oh, and I’m not.  Right, right.  I’m pounding my face against the keyboard and it’s just pure Shakespearean-chimps-at-typewriter chance that words and coherent sentences are the result.  It’s really creepy.

Anyway, I want to share at least a peak at what’s developing in my world of busking.  Pavement art is getting progressively hard on my body… So, I’ve decided to start building an other-worldly walk-about character who will surely help me ruin the remaining parts of my body left undmanged by chalk.  So far, I call her “Faunus”.

I’ll let the photos do the typing now, but stay tuned for a finished, full body faun, late in 2011…

Just in Time For Winter Holiday Fun Gift Celebration Turkey Time!

Ok, I celebrate Christmas.  Let’s just get that out there.  But whatever YOU celebrate, don’t let the occasion go by without seriously considering which Franken Toy you’d like to adopt!

They’re getting all sorts of blog famous, so you should really find your special guy before they all get Christmas’d up!  (snatched up. …at Christmas time, I mean.)  I’m sorry, I’ve had one sip of wine and I don’t hold my booze very well.  Bear with me.)

Remember also that new Franken toys go up to the shop every week or so.  If you don’t see the right one for you, keep coming back!  It’s virtually a toy factory over here at my house, with adorable limbs, torsos and severed puppy heads everywhere!  It’s just a matter of time before your perfect pal shows up, ready to be adopted.

So, get ready for Christmas with Franken Toys for the family!
(They’re lonely here.  They cry at night, asking where their Mommies and Daddies are.)

Go check out http://www.etsy.com/shop/frankentoys right away!

NOW!#%$@!!!

What an Honor!

I make toys out of other toys.  As my Toys page shows, I’ve recently opened up an etsy store.  For those of you who don’t know, Etsy.com is a site for hand-crafted or vintage items.  You can only sell your own art — nothing that’s been hand-crafted by someone else.  There are a lot of unique products and one-of-a-kinds on Etsy.  A lot of great things as well as a lot of horribly regrettable things.

As a result of the popularity of Etsy and the audacity of some people who think they can sell horrible junk, there is now also a highly popular blog site (and recent coffee table book) called www.regretsy.com.

The sharp-as-sewing needles author of regretsy who goes by the pseudonym, “Helen Killer” treats the site largely as a failblog of etsy items, etsy descriptions or etsy stores, but also has categories for the weird and wonderful masterpieces who just need to be spotlighted.

WHO do you think just got featured in the “Not Remotely Crap” category??? GUesS!!  No, seriously, take a guess!  …No, not Matt Damon.  No.  …try again.  No, not Dave Coulier. …Amy Grant?? What?? No, ME, you dingus!!

Yessir, I made my first 8 sales within the first 24 hours of being on regretsy, and I regret NOTHING!!

check it out:

http://www.regretsy.com/2010/09/23/frankentoys/

WARNING:  The rest of the site contains some adult material and language.  It seems a lot of etsy shops sell very adult, genitalia based crafts.

I’m super honored.  I would have been honored to even have been mocked.

Good job, Helen Killer.  Rock on.  And don’t let any of those death threats get to you.

~Rachel.

Most recent addition to my shop, the only driving “Wookie Mobile”, complete with wookie.

Franken Toys. Up For Adoption!

New on my toy design page is the Franken Toys Etsy shop.  Head to the Etsy links and check out the whole collection.  New ones are being made every day.

“Safe”

There’s a new painting added to the “Painting Prayers” theme.  It’s called “Safe”.
Acrylic on canvas.

Rachel and a Bus Adventure Blog 40~Little Sammy in the Big Apple

Rachel hasn’t seen Sam and brother Scott since they were all pants-wetting little children in Austria! Now the meet in New York City.

FULL SERIES

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