Rachel Kaiser

Ceramic, Painting, Ceramic Assemblage, Murals

Why do you find it important to have a space solely for creativity?

So I don't make a mess everywhere! It's a place where you can have all of your materials at arms reach and I like to decorate in a way that's inspiring for me. In my studio, it's important for me to have my favorite place so when I go there I can't help to be happy and be in the present moment. I think it's important for every artist – doesn't matter if you're a musician, an actor, a visual artist or dancer – to have a place where you can practice. Making things is a sacred act.

What tip would you give someone thinking about creating their own studio?

The first thing I think of is putting tarps down on the floor like if you're renting the space. My first studio was in my apartment. If you have a roommate or in college you just don't have much space, you could always get a storage bin and have a drop cloth or tarp folded in it. Get tackle boxes full of your supplies and have it all packed in there ready to go. You can even have an old piece of wood propped up for a drawing table or easel. You can work for a while and then when it's done you can pack it all up and set it aside. Another big thing that I learned the hard way is to have proper ventilation for the fumes.

What is currently your favorite piece in your studio?

These masks have a whole story that I have told through a dance I choreographed. It is based on a woman's life and the gold represents the sun (young woman). The copper is the earth (mother). The silver is the moon (grandmother). The white is a guardian angel spirit that travels with the woman her whole life. They were all hand carved using only knives and chisels. And then painted. No sandpaper or power tools. The name of this type of mask carving is called Topeng.

“In my studio, it’s important for me to have my favorite place so when I go there I can’t help to be happy and be in the present moment.”

Is there something you can’t live without in your studio?

All these little found objects that I have picked up through my travels I definitely have to have. I don’t necessarily use them all the time. I have used them like when I was first making shrine-like pieces. For me it’s really inspiring just playing around with them and I’ll make a clay piece that reminds me of it. If I don’t know what to make, I can dig in here and it’s like my own mini sandbox. I have packed and traveled with these things in like four different states.

How long have you been working out of this space? How has it evolved over time?

Since we moved here in 2018. We just recently made a space in the garage too.

What other art forms do you create outside of your studio?

I am a muralist as well. I have pieces in Great Falls, Montana and now Lake Havasu, AZ. I am about to start a piece on the Parker Public Library later this year.