Rachel Hertz

Artist Statement

My painting practice engages with questions of pictorial language through the observation of quiet spaces in my personal life. I emphasize the quietude of domestic spaces through the arrangement of objects and carful compositional decisions. Still life as a subject matter is, for me, a way to live inside moments of peace as a refuge from todays complex and busy world. I use objects as a stand in for reoccurring emotions of separation, belonging, and connection to cultural roots. I also use objects as a way to design a well balanced image that reflects a warm presence to counter the cold feelings in todays society. Still life for me is a way to facilitate comfort and connection, through objects that are infused with emotion. My paintings attempt to connect and reconcile with the feeling of a home I left long ago, while bringing warmth to my current home. I use oil paint on linen to reference the long lineage of painting in art history. Through painting, I attempt to capture my observational experience in my new surroundings and fuse them with my past environments, creating a sense of peace within my paintings.