Rachel T Harris
https://www.instagram.com/racheltharris/
I am an abstract expressionistic artist based in Downtown Los Angeles. I studied Fine Art at California College of the Arts, receiving my masters as well as a design degree at Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. I learned the rules in order to break them, after vigorous formal training. I aim to challenge the hypocrisy of the hierarchical and myopic ideals of the fine art world by challenging human assumptions and observations. My work is a daily endeavor of lending both my art and my physicality to the viewer’s gaze. As a “personality artist”, I pull back the curtain on my artistic process and invite the viewer in for a glance at the whole creative process. This creates contrast to the illusory “crazed artist” narrative previously portrayed, nested deeply in the seemingly unapproachable gallery atmosphere I am opposing.
Working in the realms of painting, illustration, and design, I create textured, large-scale pieces using raw materials not found in typical art stores, but instead, construction projects, excess from factories, along a variety of traditional mediums such as gouache and ink. This evokes elements of spontaneity and industrialism. The art demonstrates contrast, both visually and conceptually. Being photographed with my art is a vulnerable act, threading my literal image into abstract expressionism. I find it necessary to integrate the artist and the art, creating a space that enables openness in a way that tests the relationships and responses to our material and tactile lives. It allows me to provoke a juxtaposition between my demure, “angelic” appearance and my towering, heavy-bodied art, with its often dark inspirations.
Working on a series, I employ a thematic method with focus on texture and form. I apply layers of different materials on multiple panels, using canvases ranging from 5-15 feet. Employing rich color pallets and dynamic movement and dimensions allows me to be at the mercy of the event—making the process itself as significant as the product. The materials I use never manifest the same way twice, while also leaving a hauntingly signature style. It’s an undertaking both physically and emotionally demanding—the reward is representative of the work you see.
