An introduction to Me….Rachel Dubber

An introduction to Me….Rachel Dubber.

An introduction to Me….Rachel Dubber

After a few words of advise from a dear friend (thank you Mona www.wisewords.ie) on how to write a blog.  I figured I best take her advise and write this post called An Introduction to Me, Rachel Dubber….(I am learning, learning, learning)!

Who am  I?

My name is Rachel Dubber, my location at the moment is Cape Town, South Africa.  Where I live with my husband, son and two very loving dogs.  We moved here for two years from Ireland and have been here seven years, so I guess I should call it home.

Originally, I am from Galway, Ireland which is still home to all my family, who I don’t get to see as often as I would like, but that happens when you live quite so far away.

What do I do?

Well, I think I have summed it up in a nutshell more or less, in my statement below……..

Sometimes I feel I live many separate lives all in one body: an artist, a mother, a wife, a friend, a sister, a daughter, each one encompassing a different realm of my being.  In artist mode, I leave behind the routine of motherhood to become creator, explorer, and experimenter and am immersed in the creative rush.  A shout from my son, a doorbell ringing tears me from the intense focus of creation, dragging me back into everyday reality. But I am never without my pensive, investigative, curious and creative side.

Every facet of life attracts my attention and stimulates my mind, from the mundane little piece of rubbish discarded on the roadside, to the endlessly fascinating creations that Mother Nature provides all around us. Nothing I see bores me; everything has a life, a story to tell, a past, a present and perhaps a future. 

 I hope my work expresses the passion with which I approach my art, and that it will leave the viewer with a small insight into the intricacies of my mind.

  A sample of my work, titled Grumpy.

As you follow my blog or facebook page Rachel Dubber(Artist)  you will see my greatest passion in life is for horses, dogs, and animals in general.  As a child my mother was told by numerous people,”don’t worry it’s a phase, she’ll grow out of it”.  Yes indeed, I stopped growing in height!!!  But the horse obsession phase never left my heart, body or mind!

My love for photography, allows me to collect all the visual information I require to work on paintings or sketches.  It gives me the freedom to play artistically with photographs, without too much mess or expense, and it is sometimes a much needed relief from the artistic blockages in the paint studio.  Although, I do struggle with keeping a good filing system and hard drives that seem to love giving me a hard time, hmm maybe that’s what they mean by Hard Drive!   My husband frequently comes to my rescue when I have gremlins…… As for my cameras I use a Nikon D90 and am lucky to have a 360 Spinner, which requires film and produces panoramic lomographic images….I am not afraid to use my phone camera when it is necessary, as it also captures the moment quite adequately….all that is a whole other story.

 My dogs Tayto and Ripley

The youngster of the house…Ripley

And there you have it….well nearly…..

 

Cheers for now Rachel

theartist[at]racheldubber.com

 

Well… finally…..

Well, finally I  figured out how to get a photograph to attach into my blog….let’s hope it appears when I push the magic button….

Never one for reading long worded manuals, I normally use them as steps to reach the top cupboard shelves, being a little under five foot three inches reaching things stored way up high is a challenge, without a “leg up”.  Ha, just kidding about the manuals….I diligently keep them for emergency reference and as dust collectors on my book shelf. Most of the challenges I create myself, no one else to blame really, and yes seriously I am not the tallest person in the world.

Anyway, I digress, not one to read manuals or instructions unless it’s in picture format, I learn the hard way.  I guess that is the problem when you are a very visually influenced person and not a “technical” or inside the box thinker, oh how many times I’ve had the smart answer “read the manual”, I still won’t get it! I need to see, to feel, and to make mistakes, hence I learn, I know not everyone does this but I do. Maybe it’s my monkey see, monkey do side comes to the fore, so I pressed buttons, added, deleted, linked, unlinked and the list goes on…. until I finally found the add photo, you may laugh, but I am serious.  I sit in front of my pc and try pretty much everything until something works.  I told you at the very start of my blogging work so much better with a hammer and nails.

So, please find attached if the BUTTON works a picture of my work.  This is an oil painting on canvas called “The Messenger” however the pictures posted will never do justice to the original pieces, this one measures approximately 38 x 76 inches.

(Sighs with relief) It worked….

Cheers for now,

Rachel

I know I said I…

I know, I said I would post photos of my artwork, but, I got very sidetracked by a surprise parcel from home. My dear sisters Michaela and Lorna sent me a book that was just published in Ireland by Irish author Mona Wise.

A book I was dying to read, so needless to say I ignored all other motherly duties and artwork until I was done with this book…..

With much anticipation I sat with ‘The Chef and I’, consumed numerous cups of tea and read from cover to cover the story and recipes within. I laughed, I cried and then of course…. I baked…. I felt the urgent need for comfort food and had the golden opportunity to give a gift to a friend, so I made the Black Magic Cake twice, followed by a Lemon Tart……I am still licking my lips!

Black Magic Cake is just that…..intensly dark and Pure Magic…. light in texture with a heart warming aroma, it melts in your mouth and oozes comfort into ones soul.

The Lemon Tart was another finger licking success, and as Mona said the recipes work without messing about and fiddling with them, they are easy to follow and execute.

I have become a Baking Goddess in my family and friends eyes and that is thanks to the Chef and I by Mona Wise….the photos are as mouth-watering as the food. I cannot wait for the next book.

Congratulations Mona and Thank You for sharing part of your wonderful journey with us.

To follow Mona’s magical blog  www.wisewords.ie

and to buy the wonderful book…..www.bookshop.kennys.ie/book/IE/9780957207707/The_Chef__I_A_Nourishing_Narrative

You’ll have to forgive me as I still need to figure out how to add photos to go with the blogs….

Cheers  for now,

Rachel