Welcome back to Cutting Chai Stories with Jayati Vora. In this episode, I speak with multidisciplinary artist Racquel Keller, who participated in my monthlong writing #onestoryaday writing challenge in July in the Cutting Chai Stories Facebook group. Except, instead of responding to my writing prompts, she chose to write a poem a day that was inspired by a color. She also overlaid the words on a carefully chosen image, and helped us interpret the poem through her artist's eye. She reads one of her poems from that challenge, Rose Madder. 

Racquel talks about her art being inspired by writing, and vice versa, and offers her top tip for seeing the world around you as an artist. PLUS, she has not one but TWO art-inspired writing prompts this week.  

Speaking of which, I have my own word + image collaboration to announce this week -- a series called Backscatter that features the street photography of @hersh.img with my stories, all on Instagram. Check them out on my feed @jayativora. Did any of the pairings surprise you? Which one's your favorite? Write and let me know.

The artists Racquel mentioned on the show can be found here:

Gustave Moreau's abstract preparatory drawings: https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS809US809&sxsrf=ALeKk034r6si4fQjbgnJdVEPQ6bMgD1yNQ:1605038991679&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=gustave+moreau+art+abstrait&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjY5suX5PjsAhWhmOAKHZrcCjoQjJkEegQIBBAB&biw=1396&bih=656&dpr=2.75

For active backgrounds, look at the works of Walt Kuhn's "Plumes," Franz Kline, Clyfford Still and John Singer Sargent. 

More about Racquel Keller:

Racquel Keller is a multidisciplinary artist whose work is found in many forms, including painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, and assemblage. She constructs imagery inspired by her collection of natural specimens and vintage objects. These seemingly disparate pieces are put together to tell a story that captures the feeling of nostalgia these objects evoke.  She works as an Art Instructor at the Greenbelt Community Center, the College Park Arts Exchange, and for select workshops at The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC. She regularly offers classes and workshops in a variety of mediums and subjects. She actively exhibits her work in the DC Metropolitan area and is a current Artist in Residence at The Greenbelt Community Center (Maryland, USA).

Keep in touch with Racquel:

Podcast: Pure Fire Creatives