Rachel English
Austin-based artist Rachel English has taken the childhood motif of staring at the clouds in the sky as inspiration for her latest solo exhibition, "Atmospheric Perspective." This new exhibit, scheduled to open at The Fort Worth Arts on Fall Gallery Night, September 9, 2023, from noon – 9 pm, marks English's second solo show at the above mentioned venue. This latest exhibit from the oil-based painter will feature 30 new sky-related paintings English worked on and created over this past year.
Rachel English
English is a full-time artist who has exhibited her work across many major cities nationally, including Richmond and Memphis. She was awarded residencies at Cedars Union in Dallas in 2017 and at Gullkistan Center for Creativity, Laugarvatn, Iceland, in 2022. She has also taught workshops and classes at different organizations like the Dallas Museum of Art. Most recently, English completed a sold-out duet show at The Office in Miami, Florida.
In her latest work, which examines how clouds form in the sky, English evokes emotions by building layers of oil paint in her atmosphere.
Fort Works Art director Lauren Saba says, "The direction her work is going in with light is exquisite. Her imagery is so simple and impactful and takes me back to my childhood and seeing the cropped flowers at The Amon Carter of Georgia O'Keeffe's. English paints eloquently, and standing in front of her works is like listening to a beautiful piece of classical music for the first time."
When Fort Worth first met English in 2022 at her solo exhibition "Vanishing Point," she was going through a significant life change that brought an unexpected move to Austin from Dallas with her young child. During her commutes between the cities, she says she found herself staring out of the car window and finding solace in the skies and clouds above. English says she found the space between the fear of the unknown and the excitement about the possibilities of what lies ahead projected in the sky.
Rachel English
This shared human experience, which calls for a complete reinvention, is one many who have been through a significant life change (i.e., a global pandemic) can understand. And she was onto something because her first show was a sellout and immediately caught the attention of national dealers.
Within the last year, English has created over 30 new works designed custom for the gallery here in Fort Worth. Per her latest work, she is looking not only into the broad beauty of the vast skies as a palette but also for deeper understanding. English says in a statement that her latest work explores the knowledge of a post-pandemic world, what it means to be a newly single mother, and what it means to be an artist.
"' Atmospheric Perspective' is the embodiment of an exhibition watching an artist mature and come into themselves," says FWA's gallery manager Jay Wilkinson. "As a cloud is created by invisible vapor becoming visible crystals of water, English's work flourishes into a mountain of open-air space for every viewer to be able to stop, breathe, and find themselves within. Finding her own meaning is what drives her latest body of work."
