Hey babes,

A bit of a personal newsletter as I step into being more visible not just as the stewart of Seagrape, but also an artist. (Thank you for seeing me, it's very uncomfortable!)

I have been painting since I could remember. I have drawings I made while we still lived in Tbilisi when I was 4 or 5 of mermaids and people in baths. I've always been this person- someone curious about what it means to be in a human body, and how it moves in this world. As I came more and more into my art practice through high school, college, and beyond some very consistent themes began to emerge creating a practice is rooted in queerness, personal narrative, and the pursuit of softness- a mosaic shaped by longing, resilience, and the ongoing exploration of body as home. 

At its core, my art is an offering, an invitation to witness, to feel, and
to remember that home can be found within the body.

I hope you follow along on this journey with me near and far, and if you're in Portland that you'll come to the reception of a new group show on May 8th called ALL AT ONCE, where three of us explore that it means to make art and exist right now. 

Thank you for being the most supportive community, it means the world!!

xoxo,

Rue

"All At Once" is a group show with new work by Anna Von Rosenstiel, Rue Vashakidze and Mark von Rosenstiel exploring the hopeful and tragic experience of the now. Opening at Urbanite PDX on May 8th 6-8pm.

Anna Von Rosenstiel: 

My ceramic work is inspired by the overlapping beauty of the smallest details within an ever-changing landscape. Cast away objects on the shore, washed and sand blown, harsh and soft, exist together for a moment. The impermanence of thier relationship creates a constant new. Change, again and again, is found in the small details within the big picture, all at once, together.

Mark von Rosenstiel: 

In a moment when balance seems hard to find, I've found it helpful to think about the seeds that create our sense of self. It's often hard to know if these seeds are still viable and capable of growing to create a part of ourselves again. This piece reflects on the give and take of that process.

Rue Vashakidze: 

This collection of work is an exploration of the relationship between our bodies and our environments. The world asks us to be all of the things all at once, and the pressure of that expectation often shapes us as people. Taking up space is an act resistance against that overwhelming pressure. We move through grief and heartbreak, always looking for a way back to ourselves and our softness, but coming home to our bodies requires a willingness to hold and be held in new, often uncomfortable ways.