Learning Spanish at 41: Artist Profile: Rachel Robertson

Tell us a bit about yourself name, location, and something that we might find interesting about you...
My name is Rachel T. Robertson, I'm located in San Francisco, CA. Every year for the past ten years I have created an edition of about 50 Holiday cards to send to friends and family. Each one is made by hand, usually hand drawn.

Apart from creating, what do you do?
I work full-time as a Display Artist for Anthropologie, Inc.

What first made you want to become an artist?
My dad. He was amazingly talented (artist, designer, illustrator) and was always showing me his latest project, whether it was a house he designed, an illustration or a new idea for transforming our backyard. He seemed able to create just about anything. I flirted with other majors in college and thought about avoiding the difficulty of getting a job with an art degree but I always found myself drawing whenever I could. I finally decided it was silly to pursue anything else. It was the thing that I was best at.

Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.
I try to be consistent with my practice but it doesn’t always come as easily as I would like. I will often just work on little drawings that lead to bigger collage pieces. I love the process of combining different elements together. I mainly work on paper and with whatever materials I have on hand (paper, ink, pencil, watercolor, acrylic paint, photos, yarn, thread, old prints or drawings, etc). Lately I have been interested in drawing plants and birds and working them into collages. I also love to knit and sew and usually have a few projects going simultaneously.

What artists have influenced you and inspire you to create?
I am inspired by so many creative people. I really like to look at not only artists but also designers and architects. I love mid-century design and am particularly inspired by Scandinavian and Japanese design. Here’s just a few of the most influential artists/designers, in no particular order: Robert Rauschenberg, Richard Diebenkorn, Charles and Ray Eames, Robin and Lucienne Day, Alexander Girard, Isamu Noguchi, Hans Wegner, Lotta Anderson, Thomas Campbell, Evan Hecox, Joseph Cornell, David Hockney, illustrator Nancy Ekholm Burkert, Phoebe Washburn, Hella Jongerius, and also, my dad, Gordon Robertson.

Where else can we find your work and connect with you online?
My website, that links to my Flickr account where I post my work (art, craft and knits).
I have an Etsy shop as well where I sell my work. You can also find my work periodically for sale on-line here.