I think he’s quite neat. He’s a brain, but he’s a very happy chompy brain with arms and legs because he’s got some business to attend to and needs to be out and about.
Hope your day is a good one. Cheers, R.
Tag: seattle
I think Seattle mound houses, also known as spite mounds, and what led to their creation, are one of the coolest, most surreal things I’ve ever stumbled upon. Seattle as we know it today was built up by the timber industry and prostitution (the earnings from which went to establish the first public schools here!). A fire in 1989 completely changed – and literally reshaped – the city. Twenty-five city blocks were destroyed in the fire – the entire business district, half of downtown. railroad stations, and wharves.
Seattle is hilly as all hell, and back in the early 1900s, horses pulling buggies and humans walking through town were having absolutely none it. It was annoying to maneuver through the city with those inclines. What does one do when just about everything around them is destroyed? Use that destruction to completely change the city’s landscape forever.
For around 30 years, more than 50 million cubic yards, or about 7,000 Olympic swimming pools, of earth were moved from the city to the waterfront. Self-capsizing scows were used to transport the earth to the sea.
Regrading the city essentially required full demolition of all buildings, including houses. At the time, it was referred to as “the largest and boldest municipal regrade project in history.” And the approach to destroying many of the houses was equally dramatic.
Many of the houses that were to be removed from the hill did not have to be torn down. They were simply undermined by a stream of water, and when they tumbled into the hole they were set on fire.
V. V. Tarbill, 1930
Most folks were jazzed because it meant when they rebuilt, their property values would skyrocket.
However, as the story goes, some residents were not so pleased with this plan.
ENTER: THE MOUND HOUSE
Some folks were understandably not all that keen on having their houses or land destroyed by the city. They refused to vacate, so the regrade literally happened up to the edge of their properties, creating a surreal landscape of enormous singular mounds as the earth around them was removed. Another name for the houses were “spite mounds,” because even in the early 1900s people were cracking hilarious jokes.
There are still remnants of these holdouts around the city to this day. (Mostly along Melrose if you’re familiar with Seattle)
Definitely keeping an eye on those guys so I can buy one some day. Seattle history is full of all sorts of oddities.
I hope you’re having a lovely day! Cheers, R
VIDEO TIME, Y’ALL!
It snowed in Seattle (a rare event!) so I strapped on some skis to make it one whole block down the street. The Boy was a fantastic commentator. Also, the skis I own are branded as the Luv Machines, so in their honor, I present this song.
Hope you’re doing well and staying warm!
❤ RA
He’s a good boy and his name is Jack and sometimes he pees a little when he’s too excited.
It took over a month to finish writing all of these names of black folks killed by police brutality. I had only intended to use one small part of our fence for names, but as I kept learning and listening there was literally no space left to write after a while. I’m embarrassed that it took me this long to learn these names and the lives they lead.
Our landlords said my chalk art on the fence was causing harm and inviting vandalism and needs to be removed. I’ve sat and listened with people who have asked for chalk to write the name of their black friend killed by police violence. I’ve learned about every one of the lives of the folks whose names I’ve written. I’ve sat with parents who asked for help explaining to their children what is happening right now. I’ve cried with a neighbor when he brought flowers to put next to his dead friend’s name. This is not about me – this is about these black lives. Being told that chalk invites vandalism and needs to be gone just feels not great. My literal blood, sweat, and tears have gone into writing everyone’s name and I’d like to think of it as a work of art in support of BLM. I’m here. I’m learning. I’m listening. Your life matters.
These are the names of black people killed by police brutality. We’re all here to support this movement and amplify your voices.
Arrest the police who murdered Breonna Taylor.
Friends, Romans, countrymen, I have missed you! I hope you’re doing well in this bizarro moment in history. Gonna add some new art soon, but for now I present to you this amazing comic that describes how I view life more concisely than I ever could. Love you and hope you and yours are holding up as healthily and sanely as can be.
I’ve been teargassed, egged, sonic cannoned, flash grenaded, and helped pull folks to safety to treat wounds caused by police instigation in protests here in Seattle while working as a first aider recently and am very tired and haggard. But humans are just so lovely and deserve respect and kindness.
Cheers, r.
Hello my long lost internet friends! Turns out I am not great at balancing working full time and trying to maintain a blog and make pretty Things at the same time. But I gots a new series of Things I’ve been working on and will be posting soon. How have you been? I hope you’re having a lovely day, friend. It’s nice to see you again.
Love, R
Got a new camera and I’m trying to figure out how to take shots at night. Because I’m a degenerate who associates with other degenerates at night.
Hello friends! I made another quilt square trio – this time in the spirit of the holidays. And they’re on cards! Would you like to send some to people you love (and help your internet friend pay rent)? If so, give me a shout (or swing by the holiday markets in Wallingford or Issaquah!).
I’ve found these squares to be so peaceful and meditative to work on. They make me feel warm and nostalgic for the midwest. They always take about ten times as long as I expect, but the act of slowly shuffling through scraps of paper I compulsively collect, laying out the geometry behind the pattern, and trying a million different shades of colors before finding the right one is a nice way to spend a day. Also, shoutout to my roommate for teaching me how to use a jigsaw to cut the wood for these.
I hope you’re having a fantastic week. Cheers, R.
I’ll be hanging out and peddling my wares at the first ever (!!) Wallingford Holiday Market in Seattle, and YOU SHOULD COME HANG OUT WITH ME. Please? I’d be thrilled to meet you. November 30 from 10 am – 3 pm.
I’ll have some cards, prints, originals, journals, tote bags, and other things with my art on them. I’d like to think people that you care about would be thrilled to receive them as gifts, because I made all of them with lots of love and would be very happy to know that other people get joy from them.
I’ll post some photos of these alleged wares later, but if you can’t be there in person, feel free to shoot me a message and I’ll ship em your way.
Cheers, R.
Recent art show was very lovely! Managed to smash two of my frames right out the gate during set up, but so it goes right? Never the soft adventure of undoom? All the other artists near me were so incredibly warm and helpful!
I’ve been bad at posting. Been working on lots of new things and getting ready to be in a couple holiday markets! More details to follow. But more importantly: how are you? I hope your brain has been full of lovely ideas and joy lately, my currently-reading-this friend.
Cheers, R.
https://www.facebook.com/racheladmasart
PS: boatloads of cards and prints for sale as always, just give me a shout 🙂
A beautiful and terrifying thing found on a street in Everett, Washington.
Cheers, R.
I got a new camera! This bar is always full of confusing energy, so I took a picture of it. A friend and I were playing pool here, and were casually given suggestions of other – less competitive – bars to go play pool at. It didn’t hurt my feelings. Not at all. Not one bit. I felt great after hearing that.
Hope you are having the best day. Cheers, y’all. R
Message me if ya wanna buy some prints or cards of anything on my site ($8+)! Including a written love note, and hand mailed from yours truly.
Hello friends! I’ve been terrible at posting lately! How are you? How has your week been? I hope you’re doing well. I’ve been busy trying to plan out what to show and how to show it at an upcoming show in Seattle. Here’s my space having been turned into a staging ground for how to arrange things.
Also I made a Facebook page because that seems like a thing people do when they want to sell things. It’s here if you wanna follow me: https://www.facebook.com/racheladmasart.
Can’t wait to catch up on everyone’s amazing art that I’ve been missing for the last week!
Cheers, R.
Taken in the Central District in Seattle. What a lovely shop front.
Hello friends! I have a whole bunch of prints of my work that are all fancy and matted in preparation for a show coming up in Seattle! Want any of them? They’re $10 total (that includes shipping within the US). Anything on this site is up for grabs, plus a bunch more photos I’ll be posting. Email me at racheladmasart@gmail.com if you’d like some.
Unlucky grasshoppers trapped in cages to bring good luck.
Hello friends! I have a whole bunch of prints of my work that are all fancy and matted in preparation for a show coming up in Seattle! Want any of them? They’re $10 total (that includes shipping within the US). Anything on this site is up for grabs, plus a bunch more photos I’ll be posting soon. Email me at racheladmasart@gmail.com if you’d like some.
An old VW found in Antigua, Guatemala.
Hello friends! I have a whole bunch of prints of my work that are all fancy and matted in preparation for a show coming up in Seattle! Want any of them? They’re $10 total (that includes shipping within the US). Anything on this site is up for grabs, plus a bunch more photos I’ll be posting soon. Email me at racheladmasart@gmail.com if you’d like some.
Juncos are all over here up in Seattle and have plenty of personality. Top notch bird.
Juncos are flocking birds with a distinct social hierarchy. They forage on the ground in these groups, scratching with their feet to find food. The flash of white tail feathers serve as a signal that alerts members of the flock when one is alarmed.
This fellow is the Golden-crowned Kinglet, and he is quite small and tough. I have yet to see one in person, but I hope to some day since they live around here near Seattle.
One of our tiniest birds, the Golden-crowned Kinglet is remarkable in its ability to survive in cold climates. Nesting in northern forest, wintering throughout much of the continent, it is usually in dense conifers which undoubtedly help provide shelter from the cold.
Audubon.org
Tell me about your favorite birds?
$4 Stickers! / Prints from $22
I think it’s uniquely beautiful when nature becomes monochrome. It feels still and quiet, bleak but also cozy at the same time. Found this tree while hiking. It’s a full color photo with no edits.
When I lived in Minnesota and winter settled in, the only color to really be found was a incredibly blue sky now and then. The ground was white. The trees were black. The plowed roads were a grey mush. Walking along the sidewalk, the piles of snow that surrounded you on both sides had a striations of white and grey.
Here in Seattle, it’s similar minus the snow. The streets are black, the sky is eternally grey for several months of the year. The clouds hang so low that they feel like being buried under a warm blanket. The morning fog sometimes obscures sight completely, making everything white.
Ok, one non-artsy-fartsy photo just for fun, because this is making me fondly remember walking ten block to class on sidewalks like this.
Rachel Admas 