Dates: October/November 2024
“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and l’ve never let it keep me from a single thing that I wanted to do.” – Georgia O’Keeffe
My art education had a modest start in High School under the instruction of Artist George Fredrick VanBuren in Wright WY, and then at Northwest Community College in Powell WY, under the instruction of Artist John Giarrizzo.
“Humility is the precondition for learning and why it’s one of the highest moral virtues.” – Jordan Peterson.
I am a member of the Billings Art Association, Cody Country Art League, and I attend traditional figure drawing sessions with “Black Hands Group” at MSUB – Billings, MT. I am also a mother, wife, and in the daytime hours, work as an insurance agent “Superhero.”
I’ve taken inspiration from great artists in history, merely standing on their shoulders as they say, studying their works, process, and absorbing bits of assorted philosophy from Georgia O’Keeffe, Alphonse Mucha, Gustav Klimt, Andrew Wyeth and even the Italian Old Master, Caravaggio. Each of these ‘Greats’ share mastery of technique & medium, and the drama of story. Technique is imperative, and I’ve worked over the years to develop my skills in the essential elements of Art & Design.
As Pablo Picasso said: “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” The Vibrant color palette & crisp line quality of my body of work is the outward expression of my inward reality. It’s been said of me before, I make things “tick.” I believe this inward buzz of energy comes through in my work and speaks to the viewer of enthusiasm, positivity, and daydream. Art spans all disciplines, and many of my works are inspired by my own Mental Images while reading from Authors such as Neil Gaiman, (Gerald) Brom, C.S. Lewis, Frank Delaney, Jordan Peterson, etc. I pull from my roots then, as a Storyteller; “Every story is THE ONE story” and “I told you that story so I could tell you this one…”
“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.” – C.S.
Lewis, Mere Christianity.
SOME OF RACHAEL’S WORK