Rachel Darnell

BIOGRAPHY

Rachel Darnell Biography

Lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
I have studied art my entire life. I attended the Memphis Art Academy Saturday program from first grade to the beginning of high school. During which time I learned the fundamintals of drawing, painting, design, color and perspective. I learned various mediums such as painting, ceramics, sculpture, fabric design and printmaking.

Over the past thirty years my professional technique has evolved from woven canvas which represents the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things, to simplified techniques and more minimalist forms.

Some of my paintings utilize canvas strips over laying solid canvas which creates a design element in the surface of the canvas. It produces a minimal linear texture that I then paint upon. On this surface I paint my "Prana Series" which is "energy" in Hindu. I apply layers and layers of colors that vibrate off each other, an example would be "Daze I & II".

Another series is the "Meditation" series which is painted upon a flat canvas. I apply the paint in various washes that are transparent which craete depth and mystery, an example is "Cloud Play".

At this time I am heavily influenced by the Japanese aesthetic philosophy Wabi Sabi. Wabi Sabi is the world view that accepts impermanence and imperfection of beauty as exemplified in nature. As an artist the concept has always resonated with me. Asymetry, simplicity, texture and process or the voice of the media itself define how I create.

I have traveled extensively around the world which also informs my work.