From her home studio based in Moscow, Rachael Eastman finds joy in teaching her former college major, printmaking and many other mediums.
Eastman, the founder, and owner of Raven Hammer Studios has been making art for a while. While simultaneously working as an art teacher, Eastman has also been able to pursue her artistic endeavors after a divorce, transforming her shop into a studio over a few years of dedicated creative time. She uses this studio to teach a variety of workshops and as a creative space for herself.
On the first Saturday of every month, Eastman mainly teaches a variety of printmaking, as it is her specialty and a particular favorite of hers. This ranges from monotype, etching, leaf block printing, jelly prints and more. Eastman is happy to teach a wide range and facilitates the materials and instruction for whatever her students are interested in. She also teaches bookmaking and hopes to branch into woodworking in the future, with a strong desire to teach women and create a safe space for them to learn the process, free from the pressure of gender norms.
Eastman thoroughly enjoys teaching her classes and sees it as a nice contrast to teaching kids who don’t always want to listen to her.
“I have a master’s degree in printmaking that I never get to use,” she said. “It’s nice to get to use the skills that I actually went to college for. Kids don’t often pay attention or listen very well, so it’s nice to work with people who have a desire to do art. I really look forward to adults who won’t complain.”
Those who are interested in attending these workshops have much to look forward to. People who may not have a chance to meet otherwise, are able to interact and learn from each other, said Eastman. She said she loves seeing her students exchange phone numbers at the end and enjoys seeing such a fierce passion for art in different people.
“The community is really strong for it,” Eastman said. “People want to be there and have a desire to learn and take my advice. They love being in that world.”
Her upcoming workshop will mainly focus on leaf block printing and etching, but Eastman plans on offering a student-driven workshop and will facilitate what her students are interested in learning.
The next workshop will take place on April 3, at 1:00 pm at Eastman’s home studio. To register, go to the Raven Hammer Studios Facebook page and send a private message to confirm. The class is $45 and does have COVID-19 restrictions in place. Eastman is limiting it to no more than five people, and attendees will be required to wear a mask for the duration of the class. Eastman also has both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
If you can’t make it to the next workshop, Eastman offers classes on the first Saturday of every month, and those who are interested can look for the events on the Raven Hammer Facebook page.
Location regarding the studio has been updated
Bailey Brockett can be reached at arg-life@uidaho.edu