In Progress - On Not Screaming

Earlier this year, I was ecstatic when I received an inquiry from Eloisa Amezcua about whether I would be interested in drawing the cover for On Not Screaming, to be published by Horse Less Press.

Her visceral writing places us in a potentially mundane backdrop, like waiting in the car as a child or watching a woman primp, but this setup amplifies the quiet rage, pain, femininity,  and heartache in these poems. I can't wait to get a copy later this summer! Stay tuned and follow her here.

It's been nice to be get back to the typewriter--it'd been awhile since this Spring was spent on my larger works for my show in Milwaukee. What a thrill to incorporate text and to work with this wildly talented, badass-lady!

In Progress - Justin's Wife And Son

I'm having so much fun drawing these two.  I've said it before, the delicate features of children are so satisfying to capture--it's so easy to transform them into ghouls if you work them too much! This is such a sweet image to work from. This commission's due on Valentine's Day--I'm nearly finished.

Justin's Wife And Son, 2016, in progress, 8 x 10 inches

I would leave this negative space if it wasn't a commission--but at least it's something to consider for future pieces in my personal works. This one is on the minimal side, made using the following characters: # * %.  I might actually camouflage the few percentage symbols I've used to make it a strictly two-character drawing.  Why not? 

Commission: The Tightrope Walker

At the end of 2015, I had the honor of making a typewriter-drawing for my very first collector in Portland.  In 2009, Michael bought an etching of mine from a group show at Backspace (RIP)--my first show in town--alongside Troy Briggs, Adam Stacey and Anthony Hix. That was probably one of the last prints I pulled from the MIAD print shop.  I covet and romanticize this space and can recreate the sensual-landscape of wonderfully toxic odors, each differing from the litho-, to the -intaglio to the -screen room. Let's gaze listlessly out of a window.

The Tightrope Walker, 2015
8 x 14 inches, typewritten ink on paper

The Tightrope Walker was a fun challenge--working smaller than ever before, figure-wise.  The tightrope walker herself is only 4.5 inches tall.  It was exciting and delightfully nerve-wracking to force myself to work in an impressionist way--each mark a gamble. I am grateful for having abandoned my purist tendencies with typewriter-drawing awhile back, and employed an eraser.  Everything is a drawing tool.

It was fabulous to make a piece for such an imaginative person--we had a long back-and-forth of planning for the feeling and look of the piece.  It was originally going to be a thoughtful gift for his wife, but Michael admitted when we exchanged that it became mainly for himself... Self-gifts are important.

There was another contrast between this piece and the work I make for myself.  I am a coward with words and have never considered incorporating text in my own work. I realize this may sound counterintuitive or wasteful (I'm using a typewriter all wrong!), but I really just enjoy using the typewriter as a straightforward drawing tool--using apostrophes and asterisks for fine lines and percentages and pounds for shading or to make velvet black, without incorporating subtext.  Plus, there are people like Leslie Nichols using the same tool to create incredible things utilizing text and meaning and order in such an overwhelmingly beautiful way.  Yes, a hero of mine. Michael had asked me to incorporate a quote from Ernest Becker's book The Denial Of Death, as a secret message, not necessarily detectable, "like a little hidden Easter egg for [himself]". What a lovely project. Thanks Michael!

Mostly Drawings Of Women: Opening Reception First Thursday

It's exactly one week away from the reception for my final solo show of the year--I'm excited, relieved, and super pumped to hide in the studio to prepare for the upcoming shows next year. 

Until then, I'm very glad to install Give Up The Queen And Nobody Gets Hurt once again--I just need to make sure I have 296 magnets and thumbtacks. I'm also happy to see all of my typewriter drawings behind glass--I'm a poor gift-wrapper, so I won't see most of them until I install at the salon this Monday. 

 

This reception delightfully coincides with 77 Salon's brand re-launch party, so it'll be quite the celebration.  It's rumored there will be pizza and bubbly. Hope to see you there!

Mostly Drawings Of Women

ink and typewriter drawings by Rachel Mulder

77 Salon

1100 NW Glisan Street

Portland, OR 97209

First Thursday, November 5

7-9pm

On view Nov. 2 - 29

M-F: 10am-8pm

Sat: 9am-6pm

Sun: closed

Mostly Drawings Of Women - Solo Exhibition at 77 Salon

I'm so pleased to announce that my final exhibition of this year will showcase the various media I've been working with since 2014.

Please celebrate the closure of this beautifully wild year with me on First Thursday, November 5 from 7-9pm! You can RSVP and stay tuned for more details on Facebook.

Mostly Drawings Of Women
on view November 2 - 29

77 Salon
1100 NW Glisan Street
Portland, OR 97209

Opening Reception
First Thursday
November 5
7-9pm

 

Additional hours:
M-F 10am-8pm
SAT 9am-6pm
SUN closed

Streetside At Blackfish

First Thursday Shot, by Keith Milgaten
Stephanie And Hunter, 2015
typewritten ink on paper, 28 x 34 inches

I'm so excited to focus on wrapping up my projects for what has been a delightfully wild and productive year.  I'm currently working on a bunch of holiday-deadline commissions and wrapping up all my loose ends for my final show in November--details coming soon.  In the meantime, check out my latest typewriter drawing on view at Blackfish Gallery in The Pearl District.  You can see it at any time of day, so go at midnight. Stephanie And Hunter will be on view through October 31.

Jill - Work In Progress

This is a commission I've just begun for my amazing cosmic-mom, Cameryne.  It's her dear friend, Jill, as a kid and will be a present for her for her birthday.

Kid's are so challenging to draw because it's so easy to make them look ghoulish! Perfect for October. I've got a ways to go, but I'm so excited about the upcoming details on the shirt and to dabble with the receding background.

October Is Typewriter Month!

And I had no idea--this is what being productive in the studio for six consecutive shows leads to: being totally out of touch with what's happening outside of yourself.

Patsy, 2015
 typewritten ink on paper, 6 5/8 x 13 3/8 inches
SOLD

I'm super grateful to Nico Courtelis and Chloe Eudaly (proprietress of Reading Frenzy and co-founder of the IPRC) were kind enough to clue me in to the excitement that is Typewriter Month in our fair city. All the hubbub is co-sponsored by IPRC and Design Week Portland with typewriter aficionado and publisher/editor/designer of Uppercase Magazine Janine Vangool gracing us with her presence with a release and presentation of her new book, The Typewriter: A Graphic History Of The Beloved Machine.  She has all the details/itinerary here.

I unfortunately* won't be available to attend this year's soiree, but it's on my calendar for next year. Should you be available, please attend and tell me all about it and/or let me live vicariously through your Instagram.

If you are feeling especially generous, you can feel free to tell people to go to Blackfish Gallery to see my latest typewriter drawing AND to Radish Underground to see my very first humongous monster of a typewriter drawing--both on view currently!

In other news, I finally scanned the pieces I had on view at Luke's Frame Shop last month--enjoy! Endless thanks to everyone who came out to both recent openings--what a blast!

Erica, 2015
typewritten ink on paper, 8 x 9 1/4 inches
 $200

Kierre, 2015
 typewritten ink on paper, 16 1/4 x 11 1/2 inches
$250

Self Portrait II, 2015
typewritten ink on paper, 7 x 12 inches
SOLD

Thom, 2015
typewritten ink on paper, 14 5/8 inches x 9 15/16 inches  
$250

*It's actually quite fortunate because I get to watch two people I love and adore, Robbie and Katharine, marry each other!

Opening Reception @ Luke's Frame Shop

I'm so stoked about the opening! Come nerd out with me and get an up-close look at Unrevealed, my latest small-scale portraits made using my Sears Citation II manual typewriter on view through September 29 at Luke's Frame Shop.  Opening Reception: Saturday, September 12, from 6-8pm. Hope to see you there!

Left to right: Erica, Patsy, Michael, Carissa.  Also, I love that faint Luke's Frame Shop logo shadow overlay...

On a more personal note, I am feeling more than sentimental as I finally begin to process some recent changes in my life. I have recently made the difficult decision to leave my position as exhibition coordinator/art assistant at ProjectGrow, a place where I have cultivated countless friendships and experiences from which I can't imagine my life without.  

It's so difficult to describe how amazing this place is--I've been connected to this art studio/gallery/urban farm here in Portland since 2011. ProjectGrow is a place where anything imaginable can happen--where creativity and authentic expression is fostered. And that sentence sounds so empty, but it's really just so hard to explain! Over the last three years, moments of my day entailed the following: while attempting to be the supportive one, uncontrollable tears surprised me as three of my motherless colleagues and I hid under our boss's jacket while we imagined our dead moms in heaven playing cards and drinking wine; I cleaned up organic chocolate syrup disguised as faux-feces from all the surfaces in the bathroom as part of a practical joke telling me I was hired; in order to distract ourselves from mundane matters at hand, I began to sing an impromptu musical and was quickly accompanied by nearly half the room, all of us singing operatically about "fourteen boys in the boarding school" and then quickly and hilariously degrading into a narrative of exactly what was happening in the room.  

I can't imagine my life without ProjectGrow, and I don't have to, because it's influenced my life drastically. The decision to leave is being made so that I can focus on my own creative practice, but I would not be here, now, if I hadn't been afforded the opportunity to experience this beautiful, hidden world.  I am forever in debt to the incredible, brilliant, and strong people I know now.

The reason I'm explaining all of this is that, just a few short weeks ago, I mentioned to Luke (the owner of Luke's Frame Shop) that several of my colleagues who might wish to attend the opening use wheelchairs.  When he explained that there wasn't an accessible entrance, he went ahead and built a ramp so that all of the people I care about could attend.  I guess this post is making it sound like I get ambushed by tears often, but I am very fortunate to be surrounded by so many awesome, caring people, and I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by this act of kindness.  Luke's has been my favorite frame shop, and I'd already respected his team and business immensely, but this really takes the cake. Endless gratitude.

Wheelchair accessible ramp built by the team at Luke's Frame Shop--see it in action tomorrow, Saturday, September 12.

See you tomorrow!

Unrevealed @ Luke's Frame Shop

My latest typewriter drawings are now on view from today through September 29 at Luke's Frame Shop. I'm so excited to finally see them vertically on a white wall. Endless gratitude to the always kind and helpful staff at Luke's.

ThomErica, accidental/temporary found collage in flatfile drawer--each separate and on view at Luke's Frame Shop September 3 - 29, 2015. Typewritten ink on paper.

I'm thrilled to celebrate the show during the reception on Saturday, September 12.  We will be there from 6-8pm and there will be snacks and refreshments to numb all of our emotions. See more details and RSVP to the event on Facebook here. Until Soon!

In Progress - Kierre

I'm working on one of my last drawings for Unrevealed, which will be on view at Luke's Frame Shop from September 3 - 29. This piece consists of the following characters: @, #, ', %, o, ", *, and +.

Kierre, in progress typewriter drawing on Rives BFK

I am having so much fun drawing.  It's funny, if I were trying to make this image with traditional drawing media like graphite or charcoal, I would become so frustrated because it would become too time consuming, because I would pile on the material too quickly.  Typing, in a perhaps counterintuitive way, helps me work faster because it forces me to be more patient, challenging my heavy hand.  Since I have to treat it more preciously, I don't use a ton of time erasing and therefore redoing.

Come celebrate with me during the reception on Saturday, September 12, from 6-8pm.

In Progress - Patsy

detail, Patsy, 2015, typewriter drawing on Rives BFK

This is a portrait of an incredible woman I've known for several years.  She is beyond sweet, the queen of pet-names, brilliant, kind, and possesses a kind of wisdom I've never encountered before.  Her face is such a wonderful landscape to traverse with my typewriter.  Patsy is part of my series Unrevealed, which will be on view September 3 - 29 at Luke's Frame Shop (2707 SE Belmont, PDX, OR). 

Opening Reception for Unrevealed: Typewriter Drawings By Rachel Mulder

Saturday, September 12, 2015

6-8pm

I can't wait to hang this show--it is such an honor to show these works on paper at my favorite framing biz, Luke's Frame Shop. The opening also coincides with the Belmont Street Fair, so it should be a blast--but if you need a reprieve from the party outside, we'll be there to soothe you with wine and cheese.

Hope to see you there!

In Progress - Thom

I'm experimenting with a new way to deal with the narrow width allotted by my Sears Citation II typewriter. Looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship, or future large-scale drawing nightmare disguised as friendship. Oh, good.

If you're in PDX, please come see the end result and celebrate the new incarnation of Unrevealed, my ongoing series of small-scale typewriter drawings, during the opening reception on Saturday, September 12, from 6-8pm at Luke's Frame Shop.  Can't wait!

Upcoming Exhibition: Unrevealed at Luke's Frame Shop

I'm thrilled to announce that my latest small-scale typewriter drawings will be on view at Luke's Frame Shop, my favorite local frame shop + art gallery from September 3 - September 29, 2015. I was fortunate enough to show the first incarnation of this series in my hometown, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, earlier this summer, and I'm very pleased I have the next twenty days to crank out some new drawings especially for this exhibition. Carpal tunnel, here I come.

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, September 12 and join me from 6-8pm during the opening reception, which delightfully coincides with the Belmont Street Fair. Hope to see you there!

Cyan, 2015
typewritten ink on paper, 8 x 10 1/4 inches
$200

Jamond, 2015
typewritten ink on paper
8 1/4 x 12 inches
$200

Michael, 2015
typewritten ink on paper
8 1/4 x 13 inches
 $200

Michelle, 2015
typewritten ink on paper, 8 x 10 3/8 inches
$200

Self Portrait, 2015
typewritten ink on paper, 7 1/4 x 12 inches
$200

About:

In this series of portraits the subject's identity is obscured either by natural visual distortion or by the purposeful withholding of certain features, a result of my fascination with the way in which facial features can mutate into erratic and confusing landscapes. As my heavy handed drawing techniques in traditional media and linework urge cartoonish renderings, the sense of veracity that comes with portraiture was elusive.

Using my Sears Citation II manual typewriter as a drawing tool and a photograph of the subject as a framework, I challenged my instinct to rely on caricature but also found myself resistant to the ideals of traditional portraiture. Rather than seeking and depicting a blank truth, where facial features and body parts appear as expected, I was compelled to complete an exercise in neglecting the firmly cemented visual images in my head. Navigating through this imagery using this cumbersome yet delicate drawing tool within the delineated contours of the photographs allowed me to scatter my focus, working in one compartment at a time and allowing the images to form like sediment collecting, a slow build of overlapping marks and feeds through the typewriter until each was complete. Focusing solely on the difference in values and angles and not the expectations of visual truth, I was led back to the fundamental task of drawing what’s there.

The Spelunkers

Here are a few detail shots of my latest commission, a wedding gift. I love that they're wearing their headlamps!  I'm nearly done with the pure black background, made up solely of ampersands. I absolutely love how beat up the paper is--in the last snap you can see the molehill created between the various levels of pressure applied between opposing values.

Go Fund Me

Hi Everybody!

I recently acquired this stunning piece of Smith & Corona machinery. This beautiful baby is currently on a three-month vacation at Blue Moon Camera & Machine, being tinkered with by the experts, her platen getting a shave and massage (seriously--read this), and her function being totally restored.  She's roughly 100 years old and with her 18" carriage, I'll be able to work larger on a single sheet of paper!

I am extremely fortunate to have many exciting opportunities before me, but I may not be able to make them happen if I cannot acquire the funds. If you are interested in supporting my artistic practice, please check out my Go Fund Me campaign. My aforementioned typewriter repair, cross-country travel to install my large-scale work, and framing costs make up the need for this fund.  

If you are interested in donating, please view the gifts available to you below:

If you donate $30 or more, I will send you an 8x10" print of one of my smaller typewriter-drawn portraits of your choice!
If you donate $150 or more, I will create an original 8x10" typewriter-drawing for you!
If you donate $450 or more, I will create an original 16x20" typewriter-drawing for you!
If you donate $600 or more, I will create an original 22x30" typewriter drawing for you!]

Thank you so much for your consideration. Have an incredible day.

Best Wishes,
Rachel

First Friday at The Side Door

                                               

Kissers, 2014

Pica, 2014

Dance Partner, 2014