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Username: rachelgillen
Member Since: May 2010
Member Since: May 2010
Cincinnati, OH United States
My artwork is a reflection of how I feel about my life and the experiences that have shaped it thus far. It is largely about the people who have come in and out of my life, the ones who are still around and the ones who aren't, and all the memories I... more
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| Gender: | Female |
| Artist Statement: | My artwork is a reflection of how I feel about my life and the experiences that have shaped it thus far. It is largely about the people who have come in and out of my life, the ones who are still around and the ones who aren't, and all the memories I've made and am still making. I strive for my work to be an honest interpretation of my day-to-day life. I concentrate on my relationships with the people in my life I am closest to, or people who have sparked some sort of strong emotion, whether that be love, hurt, friendship, or confusion. I deconstruct my feelings about my subject then choose images to symbolize my feelings for the person and my experiences that have led me to create the painting. I use multiple images, almost always containing one, if not more, actual photo of the subject, to create the reference for my final piece. These multiple images and layers reflect my feelings and all the gray area that I can never quite put my finger on, and portray my subjects in the most honest and open way that I know how to. I hope for the finished abstract quality of my work to draw in a larger audience and give my work a more universal quality, while the titles provide clues to the content and the very personal meaning behind it. My work is oil on canvas or linen and varies largely in size, depending on, and stemming from my subject. I focus mostly on abstracting from realistic elements I am familiar with, using Photoshop as a tool for formulating my ideas into new, conceptually layered images that will serve as the basic reference for my paintings. |
| Education: | BFA – painting, 2009, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, California AA – painting, 2004, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio |
| Awards & Distinctions: | 2011 Studio Visit Magazine, 2011 Fall Edition 2010 Studio Visit Magazine, 2010 Summer Edition Artist Residency, Festival of Murals, Wayne County, Indiana Artist's Grant, Vermont Studio Center Artist Residency 2009 Artist's Grant, Vermont Studio Center Artist Residency Honorable Mention, The Year's Best Art, The Artist's Magazine 1st Place, Abstract Painting, Spring Show, Academy of Art University 2nd Place, Abstract Painting, Spring Show, Academy of Art University Best Body of Work, Spring Show, Academy of Art University Finalist, Myartscholarship: Undergraduate Competition, Myartspace 2008 Finalist, People and Figures Competition, International Artist Magazine 1st Place, Contemporary Painting, Spring Show, Academy of Art University 2nd Place, Landscape Painting, Spring Show, Academy of Art University 3rd Place, Contemporary Painting, Spring Show, Academy of Art University 2007 Honorable Mention, The Year's Best Art, The Artist's Magazine 2006 1st Place, Watercolor Painting, Spring Show, California Watercolor Society 2nd Place, Still Life Painting, Spring Show, Academy of Art University Underclassman Incentive Award, Spring Show, Frank Lanza |
| Professional/Teaching Experience: | 2012-present; Art instructor, Starfire Council of Greater Cincinnati 2010-present; Part-time faculty, Academy of Art University 2009-present; Private Painting and Drawing Instructor |
| Exhibitions: | 2013 The 12th Annual Art Inter/National exhibition... here and abroad, Box Heart Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 2012 Red, Redtree Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio Billboard Art Project, Atlanta, Georgia tiny, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, California A Small Glimpse, Redtree Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio FIVE by FIVE, Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, Florida Nite of Unity: Ohio Against Human Trafficking, OSU Arts Space, Columbus, Ohio Abstract Show, Redtree Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio Delicious, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, California Evoke, Redtree Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio 2011 Terrain, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, California Launch Party, Art Design Consultants, Cincinnati, Ohio A Small Glimpse, Redtree Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio tiny, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, California 2010 Up; New Paintings by Rachel Gillen, Swayne on Main, Covington, Kentucky Delicious, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, California Tiny, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, California ProKids Soiree Fundraiser Auction, Cincinnati, Ohio 2009 Teacher/Students, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California Reflective Perceptions, Gallery 79, San Francisco, California Ourboros: The Art of the Round, Dorothy Herger Gallery, Fairfield, California A Small Glimpse, Red Tree Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio Academy of Art Spring Show, 601 Brannan Gallery, San Francisco, California Represent, Bromwell's Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio Holiday Show, Bromwell's Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio Tiny, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, California Delicious, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, California 14th Annual Faculty/Alumni Fine Art Auction, Gallery 79, San Francisco, California The Perfect Party, ProKids Fundraiser Auction, Cincinnati, Ohio Junior League of San Francisco Fundraiser Auction, San Francisco, California 2008 'A' Class, Hang Art, San Francisco, California 17th Annual Breckenridge Fine Art Show, Breckenridge Fine Arts Center, Breckenridge, Texas The Kindest Shape, Base Cooperative Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio Tiny, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, California Out of the Blue, Red Tree Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio Delicious, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, California Magnitude SEVEN, Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio Academy of Art Spring Show, 601 Brannan Gallery, San Francisco, California The Perfect Party, ProKids Fundraiser Auction, Cincinnati, Ohio Junior League of San Francisco Fundraiser Auction, San Francisco, California Meier's Art & Wine Invitational, Silverton, Ohio 2007 Pabst Blue Ribbon '07-'08 East and West Coast Tour, United States Academy of Art Spring Show, 601 Brannan Gallery, San Francisco, California Academy of Art Big Bang Show, 601 Brannan Gallery, San Francisco, California Junior League of San Francisco Fundraiser Auction, San Francisco, California Alta Plaza Preschool Fundraiser Auction, San Francisco, California 2006 Academy of Art Spring Show, Gallery 79, San Francisco, California Academy of Art Big Bang Show, Gallery 79, San Francisco, California 2005 Group Show, Studio Z, San Francisco, California Hurricane Katrina Relief Auction, San Francisco, California 2004 Miami University Student Show, Fitton Center for the Arts, Hamilton, Ohio 2002 Whitewater Valley Regional Art Competition, Indiana University East, Richmond, Indiana |
| Artistic Influences: | Anne Gale, Alyssa Monks, Kevin Moore, John Wentz, Edward Hopper |
| Artist Tags: | contemporary, realism, abstract, oil, painting, portraits |
