About

I find beauty hiding in plain sight: the asymmetry of a fallen branch, the crack in a vase, the weathered skin on a time-worn face.

Nearly thirty years of Sogetsu ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) changed how and where I look. Away from the centered full bloom, toward the bud about to open, the leaf about to fall. And the space between branches — it isn’t empty; it’s alive. I paint the same way: in layers, with room to breathe.

Restless, joyful curiosity drives the work. I chase what enthralls and won’t let go—never the traditionally pretty, always the viscerally true.

Women’s stories mesmerize me, especially those that go unheard. Decades as a psychologist trained me to listen for what people can’t say outright. Now the canvas is where those stories get told.

I’m drawn to the lived-in line, the one that wavers when you get close. Emotional truth over polish.

ARTIST STATEMENT:

“There’s a difference between emptiness and space.” - Yoshi Hollis, First Level Ikebana Teacher

"Everything is autobiographical and everything is a portrait.” - Lucian Freud

Paying close attention, and surrendering to the inevitability of self expression, are what drive my art process. I’m fascinated by the tension between light and dark, connection and disconnection. I’ve learned to follow the call of seemingly random collage images and love having at surfaces with all manner of scraping tools. A strong mood and story is hinted at in much of my work, and things are left unsaid or moving in and out of focus, urging the viewer to linger and discover more. Words are variously revealed and concealed, often in languages I don’t understand. As an artist and retired psychologist, I’m endlessly moved by how we humans try, often fail, yet try again to communicate with one another. Finally, I’m drawn to quiet, and how much is expressed in silence, for those who care to look. 

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS, AWARDS & PUBLICATIONS

Museum Exhibitions

• di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, True North (2024)

• de Young Open, de Young Museum, San Francisco (2023, 2020)

• Triton Museum Salon, Santa Clara (2021, 2020) - Honorable Mention

Juried Exhibitions & Awards

• Sausalito Center for the Arts Open, juried by de Young curator Hilary McGowan (2025) -

Audience Favorite

• Women Artists Making Their Mark, juried by Seager Gray Gallery,

international (2023, 2022, 2021, 2020)

• Art2Life International Exhibition, juried by Jack Fischer Gallery (2022); Julie Nester Gallery (2020)

• Artrepreneur Grand Prize Winner (2020)

• American Contemporary Art Finalist (2021)

Publications

• Arts to Hearts Magazine, Sanctuary Edition, guest curated by Dina Brodsky (2023)

• Artists of the Bay Area & Fun Size, Jen Tough Gallery (2022)

Rachel’s work is held in private collections across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.