Hello, I'm Rachel, the artist behind the studio!
This is where I introduce myself and tell you a little about who I am and what I do.
I grew up northwest of Chicago before moving to Big Bear Lake, at the top of Bear Mountain in California. There I lived and worked at Baldwin Stables as a horseback riding guide along the Pacific Crest Trail. In the middle of the national forest, looking over Death Valley, I was inspired every single day by the rugged beauty and power of nature. I've always been drawn to the wild places and my years there have been the main influence on my visual arts.
Now located in Northern Illinois, I'm inspired again by the wide open spaces and lush prairies.
The arts have always been an integral part of my life. I attended a creative and performing arts school from 1989 to 1997, after which I continued to study music and art at Rock Valley College and Rockford University. I play and occasionally teach piano and cello, having performed with the Rockford College Orchestra, Rockford Youth Symphony, and Rock Valley Orchestra.
I also studied photography, which I followed up by working with a portrait studio until my first baby came along.
I have a pretty great scientist husband and three college kids. I've spent the last 20 years homeschooling them but they're all off on their next adventures (the kids, not the husband)!
Those days were crazy busy but insanely fun. Now I have three young adults and I've had more time to get back to art.
My lifelong passions- dogs, horses, nature, music, and art have their time to shine. I'm looking forward to expanding my skills and learning how to bring them to all of you. I have ideas and plans to enact and hope I can keep bringing new and unique pieces to the table.
I use multiple formats for visual art: graphics, vinyl, wood, fiber and knitting, watercolors, and pencil.
My favorite medium is pyrography because it adds such unique texture. I began pyrography in 2020, when the quarantine finally gave me the chance to work at it. I continued when I realized how much I loved making art with fire!
And so, WELCOME! Get comfy, settle in, and find out what I can make just for you!