I’m interested in the space between origin and destination. That critical distance is far, but only takes a moment to traverse. The transmission. In practice, often means that I’m talking about the space between an object making a sound and the listener nearby. I find that it is an active space, full of energy, not so dissimilar to the spaces between us – like those gaps in conversation or at the end of sentences left unfinished or unanswered. Sound takes time to get where it is going. It travels to us, envelops us, leaving no part untouched. Physically the creation of sound and the transmitting and receiving of it are acts of vibration. We are transmitters and receivers, but more importantly, we are perceivers. This last part is where the art is for me. To perceive is to be affected, and to be affected is to change. All of this takes various forms depending on what the concept requires.

As a lifelong musician, the influence it has on my studio practice can’t be diminished. While much of my early work was modeled in clay and cast into resin or bronze – it wasn’t complete without an original external soundtrack to accompany it. Later this work evolved into direct metal castings into wooden instruments as a way of exploring the concept of sound creation at the source; or by working with the exact raw materials used to make such instruments as a form of “potential sound”. More recently, I’ve fully integrated technology into my work to create so-called “Magic Boxes” that emanate and resonate programmed sound seemingly from nowhere. Currently, I am expanding into new media, specifically video and audio recording.

Formally, I might describe my work as being largely experimental and seeking to fuse both traditional ways of making with the more contemporary technologies of our time. Looking to the future, I’m keen on developing my practice by focusing on sound as it relates to the visual arts and pioneering new works in that vein.

The theme of my artwork is: Bring Nature into Your Home. My paintings reflect some aspects of nature. I paint in an impressionistic style. I like to use bold colors that sometimes become more important than the subject matter. I like to create work that has fewer details.

I would like viewers to use their imagination to draw their own conclusions about what the painting means to them. My goal when someone views my paintings, is to stimulate awareness of how nature enriches our lives.

These fish are a genus of cichlids native to the Amazon River basin in Brazil and are the reason I began painting underwater scenes. Their beauty is a tribute to the extraordinary found within the ordinary, a gentle nudge to recognize that within every place on earth, whether it be hidden in a river, lies endless inspiration, reflection, and awe.

I view my surroundings as a perpetual narrative, and it is within this narrative that I begin to create. My artwork stems from the traditional genre of portraiture presented through a theatrical lens that dramatizes commonplace scenery utilizing bright, vibrant hues and highly exaggerated compositions. Each painting seeks to identify the absurdity in the mundane and challenge what we value in our reality. This body of work seeks to understand what it means to function in contemporary society through a humorous perspective that identifies the value in all segments of the daily experience.

My process begins as a visual record of my life, interactions, and perspectives. I document this visual record through video recordings and photographic still-shots. From this, I transpose aspects of collage through a rearranging of compositional elements in a digital format. I warp and readjust my composition to create off-kilter images that spark a peculiar interest in the absurdity of the mundane.

I often stop to contemplate how we curate our lives for the sake of others. How is it that we live double lives in our modern age? Why do we seemingly ignore certain events from our lives in favor of the extravagant and exciting? My artwork explores these questions through the dramatization of scenes that would typically be ignored. I shift my focus away from the excitement and curated facade of social media and public life, instead focusing myself, in an ironic twist, on the monotony of reality. Like a melodramatic filter, I shift the focus away from what we perceive as valuable to our digital and public depictions in favor of the observation, and appreciation, of our unique interactions with the mundane. My art seeks to pay homage to the fragments of our lives that we choose to exclude and analyze the choices we make for the sake of our curated presence.

My art explores identity – social and cultural roles. It reflects the emotional experiences we go through in life. Explores ideas and feelings that range from illness to wellness, in the form of painting, sculpture, performance, and video art. In my creative process, I portray visualizations, received throughout meditative states of mind, that are connected with physical and emotional sensations; archetypes, duality, time, fairy tales, occult lore, space, and matter; in a bold and symbolic way. The backgrounds strike the eye with geometry and interceptive lines that levitate the space creating a subtle sense of depth and ether. The figures overlap in layers of transparency producing dynamism and forming structure out of light and shadow. I am particularly interested in portraying emotional sensations by representing the human essence using the body, conceptual hybrid figures, and animals; communicating the strength, instincts, impulses, and the intuition that thrive within us.

Mixed media/abstract artist living in Vancouver, WA.

My painting “Dive “ sets up concepts that are recurring themes in my paintings. This one captures the pure joy and was inspired by my first visits to Ravenna and Pompeii. I’ve always struggled with depression and anxiety. Growing up in an age and culture where shock therapy was the only “cure “ I hid it as best I could! I took refuge in books, and because I could read before kindergarten, I was gifted a set of children’s illustrated encyclopedias. The illustrations inspired the “Diver!”, although I gave her Hedy Lamar’s face. My recent work continues with those books, cutting and pasting them into paintings. While this painting was originally about my love affair with Italy, it is also about the feeling of diving into any form of wonder.

“Are You Listening” harkens back to summer games before iPhones, making tin “walkie-talkies” out of tin cans and string. It seems like we have forgotten how to listen in every way, to anyone with a different view, or even people in our personal space.

It was with reclaimed zinc that Rachelle began developing the unique kind of canvas that anchors most of her current work. The edges are folded back to form an elegant, ready-to-hang frame that is integral to the surface. Then she paints with acrylic and with the oil-based liquid, directly onto the porous metal surface. She spent two years developing her original painting technique. Her work is abstract, often with patterns or networks that spread across the surface like fractals. There are repeated, recognizable elements that diagram myriad units that are all different but, in the wider scheme, largely the same in connection with each other, but also broken and separated. These, she says, can be read as an allegory for the interrelationships of people within our system. The creative process begins with .22 gauge pre-patina zinc metal sheets originating from Germany in 1M sheets which then get cut, bent, and hemmed to the specified sizes followed by the application of paints & oils.

I am a versatile artist, exploring both traditional and non-traditional media in my work. One of my favorite non-traditional materials is fusion beads. My journey with them began in 2008 when I bought an art kit for my daughter, which included thousands of beads and a small 6” x 6” pegboard. While she was busy creating birds and flowers, I found myself visualizing patterns on canvas. When I created my first bead artwork, I was thrilled by the outcome. This excitement sparked a desire to explore the endless possibilities of this medium, and I’ve been working with fusion beads ever since. The bright colors and textures of the beads bring a unique vibrancy and depth to my pieces.

My work is deeply inspired by Rangoli, a traditional Indian art form created during festivals. Rangoli is made on the ground using colored powders or flowers, only to be washed away once the celebration ends. This fleeting nature of Rangoli, the temporary beauty, is something that resonates with me. Similarly, my beadwork reflects a sense of impermanence, beauty, and celebration, capturing the fleeting nature of the artistic moment.

Art is not just a practice for me; it’s a meditative and calming experience. It offers me a space of silence and peace, where I can immerse myself in the beauty of colors and textures that bring joy. Through my work, I aim to share that sense of joy and tranquility with others, inviting them into the vibrant world I create with each piece.