RACHEL ENGlish: ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
Rachel English’s work embodies a perennial urge to gaze upward and grapple with ideas of existential meaning. A lifelong fascination with the fields of astronomy and physics sustains her painting technique, involving layers of oil color and brushwork to describe cosmic forms on canvas. Hand-painted stars, bolts of lightning, and cloudscapes are rendered with meticulous detail to evoke connections between the physical laws of nature and transcendent themes like morality and suffering, and to extend a mindful appreciation toward a universe that is much greater than ourselves.
EXHIBITION DATES: SEPTEMBER 9, 2023–October 23, 2023
FORT WORKS ART presented Atmospheric Perspective, a second solo exhibition at FWA, by Austin based artist Rachel English. English is a full-time artist whose work elicits emotions about life, change, taking moments to breathe, and spirituality. She achieves these emotions by building layers of oil paint in her atmospheres. These layers create environments with such depth and light that the viewer wants to gain access into her worlds.The final image also allows the viewer to go into their own memory full of unique experiences that these works elicit.
English describes her process as “a means to an end.” The process is not what truly matters to her. The finished image is what moves her forward. English further states,“The painting has to be complete for her to feel as if it could stand alone.” Creating a sense of awe and wonder is her ultimate goal.