ABOUT RACHEL
My website has basically been a Horcrux for awhile, a part of my soul that I've separated from the rest of myself for my protection. Any writing or photos that seemed a little too personal were censored for the sake of maintaining an agreeable business persona. I'm becoming comfortable with the fact that no matter how much of myself I censor, I can never be what everyone wants, so I might as well put it all out on the table and surround myself with people who I don't have to worry will only like me until they find out something about me. I am not good at emotional boundaries and I’m a huge fan of vulnerability. A lot of my work is deeply personal to me and it seems like a disservice to not carry that same transparency to whatever channels I want.
QUICK FACTS:
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Enneagram 2w3- The Helper- I need people to need me and I need people to love me.
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INFJ- The Advocate- sometimes I score ENFJ but my extroversion is usually for individuals rather than groups of people, I’m typically drained by social events and energized by connection.
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Cancer sun, Sagittarius rising and moon- I come across as independent and critical but I am sensitive and nurturing at my core.
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Hufflepuff sun, Ravenclaw rising, Slytherin moon- To the world, wit and creativity seem to be more primary goals, to myself I seek connection and am patient and empathetic, my mood is driven by ambition and I resort to self-preservation in anger.
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Lesbian- Sexuality is fluid and on a spectrum so this label doesn’t fit well but for the purpose of categorization it’s sufficient.
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I have a master's degree in marketing and bachelor's degrees in advertising and photography and minored in studio art and religious studies.
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I have a lot to say and a lot to learn.
ABOUT MY WORK
I try to create art in any form that I can. Primarily, I’m a painter and photographer, but I have dabbled in printmaking, ceramics, and any form of art that I’ve had the materials to do. Regardless of the medium, my art is for me before it is for anyone else but I hope that through my own experiences I can offer an avenue for healing in others. I try to make art that is thought-provoking or at least inspires people to look into what I’m talking about or referencing. My hope is not to tell people what to think, just to encourage them to think about it.
My art is typically drawn from specific periods in art, religion, mythology, fables, and my own experiences. A lot of my work is inspired by Dutch baroque paintings and art nouveau prints. There is so much intricacy and rich symbolism in these eras that are beautiful both aesthetically and allegorically. In college, I studied studio art, religion, photography, and advertising. Learning comparatively about religions allowed me to pick away at the common threads that connect every faith and seem to drive all of humanity. Being able to draw connections from art and religion to my own life has created meaning that I can apply to whatever I’m processing or going through. I try to carry the symbolism and technique from classical/classicized art into my art and put deep thought into the significance of every aspect.
CLICK TO READ MORE ABOUT MY WORK
I recently made a series of linocut prints based on fables about trust and manipulation. I have had to continuously walk a fine line between kindness and caution in my life because trust is taken advantage of far too often. This is another paradox I’ve seen with expectations of women in interacting with men. Women are often blamed for leading men on if they show any kindness, yet retaliated against if they do not. These fables seem to suggest that the middle road of general caution is the only one that sees any success. While the shift from kindness to caution is one I’ve seen in my own life and that in itself gave this series meaning for me, my overall takeaway in both this series and my photography series mentioned below is that myths and fables seem to always place responsibility on the victim rather than the aggressor.
My most recent project was completed for my undergraduate photography capstone titled “What Lies in Grey Areas”. The series is a study in control and blame. Each photo references baroque vanitas still lifes to explore and challenge the mythological, biblical, and historical grey areas relating to violence against women and place focus on the present-day parallels of these women’s stories.
