Rachael Padilla

Corny Slide Show

For the purposes of creating a painting, I will take reference photos of a subject. It's funny though, how many reference photos are taken. It's often in excess. Here, a slideshow of all the photos that were taken today. Including a series of "undressed" corndog shots, the dressed up corndog, and ultimately: the eating of the corndog.

Continuing with an already established theme I've created with food items, these future paintings will fit in. There is the Twinkie Weiner Sandwich painting, the Hostess Cupcake, The First Lick of Summer (featuring a soft serve ice-cream cone), just to name a few.

Wednesday Walk: Through the Changing Seasons

Wow! I feel like I've walked a lot of miles with you. It is striking to me how the back drops for my Wednesday Walks change so much throughout the year. From the golden autumns, to sweltering hot summers, to neon green spring, to the grays of winter.

Here a compilation of seasons and walks. Thank you so much for walking with me through the changing seasons!

Behind the Scenes

I've got big plans for gardening and pepper plants.

I love spicy food, and the Georgia clay really seems to do wonders for jalapeños. I've enjoyed so many delicious, flavorful, and hot peppers from my own garden in the years that I've lived here. I'm super excited to try this new adventure in pepper growing.

If cross pollinating pepper plants can become an art form, I want to try it. I'm loving the potential of new colors!

Tuesday Update

Happy Taco Tuesday! Here's what's going on with me this week.

From creating clay brains to cyanotypes. One of which is perfect for rainy day weather and the other perfect for sunshine. I've got great creative momentum right now.

Just Hangin' Around

In between art projects, I'm just hangin' around.

Like, actually hanging, from a bar.. Trying to build core strength. It is something that I need to do, given my age and my life experience.

Today’s cyanotypes

Taking advantage of the sunshine when I have it. Today was a sunny day, so it worked out. It is possible to properly expose cyanotypes in overcast conditions, but I haven’t had the best results with it.

The first two pieces shown here are on cardstock that I’d prepared. The next two were prepared on watercolor paper. It yielded deeper blues and greater detail.

Don't Panic

Action Pants: Genital Panic, was first conceived of and performed by Valie Export in 1969. In 2005, Marina Abramovich repeated the action, or performance. This is my version.

I believe that this piece speaks volumes about violence against women. It seems that now, in the current climate, it speaks volumes about violence in general. Individuals should not have to feel scared for being who they are: this applies to gender as well as ethnicity. The world is a challenging place.

This is a challenging piece to watch. It is also challenging to perform. I felt myself go through a wide range of emotions. Everything ranging from a sense of vulnerability to defensiveness. The in-betweens included fear, self-consciousness, a sense of grief, anger, among others.. Such a wide range. Such a powerful piece.

Haikus for Spring

As the days warm, I feel myself shaking off the remnants of winter and warming at the thought of new things to come. Here, some visuals to accompany my springtime haikus and my new feeling of hope and change.

In Progress

Over the course of a couple of days, I worked on the art of dorodango, which I've read translates as "shiny dumpling". It's not unlike making mud pies, but the results are much more lovely. This is an effort at my first one ever.

Wednesday Walk

It's a beautiful day for a walk along the water. I'll take in some fresh air and sunshine as the landscape around me comes to life on this second day of spring.

Tuesday Update

Happy Taco Tuesday! I hope your week is off to a great start. 

Here's what's going on with me. 

As I Work, I Think

A behind the scenes look at my thought process as I work. 

I had assumed when I started out today that I had figured out what was next. But the creative process is rarely cut and dry. It evolves as it progresses. Answers will come, the solutions are but a thought away. But this is where it currently stands. 

I'll just keep moving forward as I reduce a mass of clay into something more workable.

In Progress: My Brain

From a large lump of clay, I carve a brain. 

This will be an additional component for the sculpture I've been working on lately. 

The technique I've been using the past few months for making chawans really lends itself to the rippling texture I'm working on achieving. This piece is still too heavy and thick and will require additional reduction, but it's coming along!

In Progress: Cyanotype

An update on my progress with cyanotype printing. 

As an example in contrast, the first print featured in this movie is from a package of prepared cyano sheets. While I think that it looks interesting, the contrast is just not there. The others in this movie are printed on paper that I prepared myself with the cyanotype chemicals. The contrast is so much greater! Instead of weak shades of blue, they contrast with incredibly deep indigo against lovely white. 

I am so excited about the potential here, and I intend to keep working on this process! 

In Progress

Today's progress. 

I completed another casting. First mixing up the molding material. A gelatinous, squishy, lumpy concoction that resembles some kind  of gray porridge. After standing and waiting with my hand stuck in that for approximately 10 minutes, I mixed up the plaster to go into the casting.

The accompanying movie reveals the best part: the final result.

Wednesday Walk

It was positively a beautiful day for a walk. It's the first time this year that my arms have been warmed by sun!

After days of rain, the streams were flowing. Everything seemed to be a bright pale green, and I could hear the birds singing and insects buzzing. I even saw some butterflies. 

Plus, some exciting bonus footage. 

Tuesday Update

I hope your Tuesday is beautiful. I am enjoying the warming weather.

 I have a couple of new ideas in the works. Including some cyanotypes and a way to incorporate my pottery into my new sculpture. I will likely have more updates on both projects very soon. 

Panocha

With my wheat flour prepared, it's time to make the pudding. 

I may still have to experiment with recipes in order to achieve the likeness of the panocha my grandmother used to make. But I'm pleased to say that I'm well on the way! 

Here, a performative piece highlighting the process and method I used to create my first batch. 

Milling the Grain

This is, "Milling the Grain". A performative video piece. 

This piece began as an exercise in heritage.  A celebration of the special treat that my grandmother would make for an Easter celebration: a pudding called panocha.

In the process of re-creating the pudding,  I realized the work and magnitude of the task. 

The first step being sprouting the wheat, then drying the sprouted wheat, and ultimately grinding it. All that work and time, and still not having the finished pudding. 

This type of pudding is specific to the region of New Mexico where I grew up. Going through the process necessary for just one ingredient made me wonder how some traditions survive at all. It is so much work. It would have been just as much work for the women before me: my grandmother , her mother, her mother's mother. How far back does it go? 

But the greater question in my mind is: how much farther can it go? 

My hope is that the sprouting, the drying, and the grinding will continue long into the future, to further generations. Making this on ever continuing process and tradition.  Never ending. 

The Atlanta Cyclorama

I finally got to experience the Cyclorama. 

Long before the Apple Vision Pro, there were cycloramas. These enormous, immersive paintings were the 1880s version of virtual reality. The Atlanta Cyclorama is one that actually survived. 

While it depicts the artists' best interpretation of the Battle of Atlanta, it is not a Civil War monument. It is however, an impressive feat of art, construction and imagination!

Sneak Peek

A sneak peek at what I saw today. It is a massive piece of art and I've never seen anything quite like it. It's been a piece I've been meaning to see for years, but I've only just now gotten around to it. 

It will also be the subject for Friday’s YouTube video. It’s an immersive experience: a 10,000 pound oil painting from 1886. The “Cyclorama”.

Tuesday Update

Happy Taco Tuesday! 

Here's an update on everything I've been working on this week. From building, to pottery, to milling grain. There's a lot going on, and I'm so excited to share it with you. 

Some Highlights of Today's Projects

Working on several things today. Here are some of the highlights from my camera roll. 

Featured first is a photo of my dehydrator as I load it up with parchment lined sheets covered in sprouted wheat. I need flour made from sprouted wheat for a traditional New Mexican pudding recipe. Since I have a bag of uncracked wheat, a dehydrator, and a grinder, I thought I'd make some myself. Plus, sprouted wheat flour is not available at most grocery stores. I'll keep you posted as I continue through the whole process. 

Also, it was bath day for a giant dog! He doesn't care much for the getting wet and soapy aspect, but he loves the drying off part!

The last two photos are photos of the pedestal in progress. 

Work in Progress

Continuing my work on building a pedestal. I've gathered some of the various pieces together for this video in an attempt to show how they'll ultimately come together!

Spring Rain

Slowly, spring is creeping in. This spring rain had a slight chill to it. It made me shiver. So unlike the summer showers to come. 

I've been making music for many of my recent movies, but there was something nice about just the raw sounds of rain here. I hear it in layers with the drops hitting the camera being loudest while other rain sounds happen beyond the camera, more subtly. 

Behind the Scenes: Making Music

With a new commitment to making my own music in order to ensure that my work is all mine, I recorded the process. 

First selecting sounds on my Korg Kaossilator Pro+ that seem to fit the mood I'm trying to achieve, then creating a track to match the movement and happenings of the video. I play the video as a record the soundtrack. It's a process that requires practice! 

Today’s Progress

A little more progress on the plinth/pedestal that will house the radio components as well as display the sculptural self portrait.

So it begins…

This artwork began as an idea. Then it transitioned to its first real form: sketches in my sketchbook. Now begins the process of bringing the concept to three dimensions of a self portrait that transmits radio frequency.

Wednesday Walk

Setting out on a rather warm walk under a gray sky promising rain. 

Just a few seconds into my walk I make a funny face. I genuinely try not to disrupt the world around me when I go for a walk. This time, I was unaware of some folks working in the junkyard. It surprised me. Fortunately, I was met with a friendly thumbs up!

The soundtrack for this walk is original music by yours truly.

Tuesday Update

Where to begin? I've had so much thinking and planning to do with my new series of art based on communication. All of the ways and means to communicate, and new artworks I can make to help convey that message. Like cupules and dorodango, for example.   

Oh, I also have a new chawan to show off. It's my favorite one so far!