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ARTIST STATEMENT

My large scale drawings use depictions of the human figure to address the influence of society and electronic media on personal versus public identity.  The messages that the media communicates have affected my opinion of myself as well as my thoughts on life, sex, and body image. I am also influenced in how I interact with strangers and casual acquaintances, as well as those that I have personal relationships with. The lengths that we go through to look a certain way as defined by the mass media have so much to do with our social interactions that I wanted to make a body of work that dealt with this subject.  Placing near life-size figures on simple backgrounds allows me to confront the viewer with an image that is as much about the subject's personality as it is the viewer's.


There is a narrative that runs through each work, some more obvious than others, and viewers are challenged to pay attention to slight nuances in order to uncover meaning. The body of work is presented as a series of multiple images; groups of panels make up each piece. Each panel in a piece shows one side of a person's identity, whether it is a protected, private identity or a public presentation. Thus, the viewer is often seeing multiple sides to the subject's personality at the same time - what that person conveys to others versus how we, as society, perceive who they. The artwork strives to confront the viewer with his or her own feelings on these issues. Everyone will react to a certain type of person in a different way, depending on their personal belief system and what they have grown up feeling comfortable (or uncomfortable) with. Therefore, there may be a piece in my series where one viewer will see a huge difference between the dual personas presented in a diptych, while a different viewer may see the two side-by-side images as nearly identical. Ideally, I would like for each viewer to bring his or her life experience to each piece of my art and get as much, or as little, from it as those experiences dictate.


ABOUT

Rachel currently lives in Los Osos, a small town near San Luis Obispo, and is making art full time as well as managing a small business making hand-done signage (www.dandcstudio.com). Recently, she taught fine art at Canyon Crest Academy high school in North County San Diego. She received her BFA degree from the Honors College at the University of South Carolina with a concentration in Studio Art/Drawing, and then went on to study fine art in Florence, Italy. Most recently, Rachel completed her Masters in Fine Art (Drawing) at the Laguna College of Art + Design, and is has taught there as well. She has exhibited in San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles galleries, and has art in various personal collections, as well as at the Preston College of USC (South Carolina).





CURRICULUM VITAE


education
        
Laguna College of Art + Design                                         2010-2012
MFA in Drawing

Pt. Loma Nazarene University                                            2003-2004
Secondary Teacher Credential Program
        
Lorenzo de'Medici School of Art                                        Spring 2003
Florence, Italy
        
University of South Carolina                                               1995-1999
BFA (studio art/drawing); magna cum laude with honors from the SC Honors College



solo shows


2014    

Said Space gallery; solo show and "Artist Series No. 1" figurative drawing                         workshop and instructional sessions; Encinitas, CA



juried competitions


2014/2015

Cannon Art Gallery juried biennial; jurors: Tina Yapelli of SDSU and John D. Spiak of Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana; Carlsbad, CA

2014
Target Gallery at The Torpedo Factory; "Identification"; Alexandria, VA

2013
Orange County Center for Contemporary Art; "Compass: Navigating the Journey to Self-Identity" group show; Santa Ana, CA
                  
Linus Gallery; "It's Only Natural" Juried Group Show; Pasadena, CA
                   
Viridian Artists; 24th Annual International Juried Exhibition "Director's Selection"; Juried by Elisabeth Sussman, Curator of the Whitney Museum, NYC; NYC
        
2012    
San Diego Art Institute; Regional show; San Diego, CA

Gallery 533;  "The Realist Perspective", Los Angeles, CA
        
2011    
Sylvia White Gallery; Annual Summer Juried Group Show; Ventura, CA
                   
Gallery 793; Juried Group Show; Laguna Beach, CA
                   
Katharine Story Boutique; "Erotica" Juried Group Show; Laguna Beach, CA
        
2008    
Gallery 680; "Threesome" 3-man Show; San Diego, CA
        
2002    
Poway Center for the Arts; "Impact 2002:Women's Caucus for the Arts"; Poway,CA
                   
101 Artists' Colony; 1st Anniversary Juried Group Show; Encinitas, CA
                   
Encinitas City Hall; 2-man Show; Encinitas, CA
                   
The Art of Dessert; collaboration of restaurants and artists - by invitation;
Encinitas, CA
        
2000    
101 Artists' Colony; 3-man Show; Encinitas, CA




art exhibits
        
2015

"Open Studio" Art Show at The Artist Odyssey collective studios; Encinitas, CA

2013    
Open Arts Collective; "Do Art Daily" group show; San Diego, CA
                   
LCAD Faculty Art Show; Laguna Beach, CA
        
2012    
Arena 1 Gallery; MFA Thesis Show; Santa Monica,CA
                   
Laguna Art Museum; MFA Group Show; Laguna Beach, CA
                   
LCAD Campus Gallery; MFA Group Show; Laguna Beach, CA
        
2011    
Arts Alive Banner Artist for DEMA Mainstreet Project; Encinitas, CA
                   
Irvine Fine Arts Center; MFA Faculty + Student Show; Irvine, CA
       
2010    
Artwalk; booth artist; San Deigo, CA
        
2009    
Rhino Art Gallery; District Arts Teacher Show; Encinitas, CA
                   
One World Collective Group Show; Encinitas, CA
        
2008    
ArtnSoul Gallery and Store; Group show; Encinitas, CA
       
2005-2007    
Del Mar Fair Art Exhibitor
        
2003    
Lorenzo de'Medici Group Show; Florence, Italy
        
2002    
Arts Alive Banner Artist for DEMA Mainstreet Project; Encinitas, CA
        
2000    
Encinitas Annual Poinsettia Street Festival; representing 101 Artists' Colony
        
1999    
Lewis + Clark Gallery; BFA Honors Thesis solo art show; Columbia, SC




artist lectures/presentations
        
2014     
San Diego Art Guild; artist lecture and demonstration/instructional fiure workshop
                     
Said Space gallery; solo show and "Artist Series No. 1" figurative drawing workshop and instructional sessions; Encinitas, CA




collections
        
Preston College - Univ. of South Carolina
        
Mr. and Mrs. Les Traub - Los Angeles, CA




teaching credential
SB 2042 single subject (middle/high school) in both Studio Art and Biology





TEACHING EXPERIENCE

            
Laguna College of Art + Design

Fundamentals of Drawing I   - adjunct faculty                               Fall 2012, 2013
                            
Figure Block 2 - Graduate Teaching Assistant                             Spring 2012
                
Fundamentals of Drawing I - Graduate Teaching Asst                 Fall 2011
            


Canyon Crest Academy                                                   2006 - 2015
High school fine art teacher (beg/adv drawing, sculpture, figure drawing, digital imaging)
            


Sun Valley Charter High School                                      2004-2006
High school fine art teacher (drawing,painting, sculpture, art history)



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