{tink makes art}

Here are some books I wish I had sitting on my coffee table ready to read. What books are on your wishlist?

Black & White (and a bit in between) by Celerie Kemble

Creative Display by Geraldine James

The Natural Home by Hans Blomquist

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

The Beekeeper’s Bible by Richard A. Jones and Sharon Sweeney-Lynch

I came across this video by Sean Ohlenkamp and Lisa Blonder Ohlenkamp, owners of Type, a bookstore in Toronto, and love how the books come alive. It reminds me of Toy Story when the toys come alive when the humans aren’t looking.  Oh books, I love you.

via swissmiss

Have you finished all your Christmas shopping yet? Have you even started? I’m one of those procrastinators who waits far too long to start buying gifts. Where do you buy your gifts mostly: an online store, at the mall, on Etsy? Or are you one of the crafty types who makes most of your gifts? Well, if you still have a few more gifts to pick up (or all of them), here are a few ideas for you!

for dad…

“Geek Dad:” a book of projects

for mom…

Sugar & Cream Set by Pigeon Toe Ceramics

for husband/boyfriend…

jacket via Ugly Hapas

for the rock climbing sibling…

Cliff Hanger Mug by The Play Coalition

for sis…

Odette Arrow Ring

My goal #3 for twelve by 2012 is “Read (or listen to) 5 books.” One more down, which brings me to two! I listened to The Art of Racing in the Rainby Garth Stein. A story of human life as observed and lived by a dog…and snippets of fetching and barking too…ya know, dog things. The book wasn’t as engaging or impactful as I’d anticipated, but I still enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the narrator’s, Christopher Evan Welch, voices.

My goal #3 for twelve by 2012 is “Read (or listen to) 5 books.” So far, one down! I listened to Sex God by Rob Bell. GREAT book for anyone…whether you’re male or female, single or married…it’s a winner.

Jillian let me borrow her book, Graffiti Women: Street Art From Five Continents, and I’m already completely inspired to get back into this style of work. My favorite artists featured in the book include Siloette, Aleteia, Swoon, Nuria, Microbo, Hera, and Fafi. There is such a great range of work shown in this book with one section dedicated to graffiti and another to street art. Graffiti is made-up of mostly letters created using aerosol with a push for quality and quantity, while street art cultivates a more figurative approach with less words and more images using stickers, posters, aerosol, and even acrylic and paint brushes. Both styles promote public art that makes a statement whether that be to one individual or to the world.

Graffiti Women brings me back to the art I find most inspiring, and it encourages me, as a woman, to PAINT! I used to make stencils and frequently used mixed media including aerosol, paper, and charcoal in my work, but since moving to Durham, I’ve stuck to acrylics on canvas for the most part. I miss the messiness and spontaneity that comes with graffiti and street art, along with the confidence to “just go with it.” Slap some paint wherever you see fit, let the spray drip to the ground, and let the art lead you instead of you controlling the outcome.

Graffiti and street art are at the core of “Tink.” Strouse and I once had a graffiti wall in our backyard, and every Wednesday night, a  bunch of graffiti artists friends would come over to paint. Everyone had their tag name, except me. Trying to spray “Rachel Freeman” or even just “Rachel” was not only too long but just plain boring. “Tink,” having been a nickname since high school, naturally became my tag name and the name I’ve since used to sign my work.

wearing this swimsuit

at this house

drinking this water

reading this book

Ishmael Beah is a former Sierra Leonean child soldier and author of the published memoir, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. I read his book a few years ago and was gripped by the stories, rather the realities in his life. At age 12, he fled attacking rebels. By age 13, he was a soldier in the government army. “Eventually released by the army and sent to a UNICEF rehabilitation center, he struggled to regain his humanity and to reenter the world of civilians, who viewed him with fear and suspicion. This is, at last, a story of redemption and hope.”

I decided to paint Ishmael’s portrait, because he taught me about a world I knew very little about…a world that still exists today for over 300,000 children in more than fifty countries. He also taught me about hope. “When I was young, my father used to say, ‘If you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen. If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person, he or she will die.’ I thought about these words during my journey, and they kept me moving even when I didn’t know where I was going. Those words became the vehicle that drove my spirit forward and made it stay alive.”

Ishmael is a survivor and is using his experiences to bring hope to humanity. He currently lives in New York City and works towards ending child soldiering and helping those affected by war.