Meet Painter Rachel Brask - Inside Art with Michael Rose

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Michael Rose, Art Contributor

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

Experimentation is central to artistic practice. For Rumford-based painter Rachel Brask, a willingness to alter her paintings and even see them be transformed beyond recognition is a key element of her creative journey. From her bright home studio at the edge of East Providence, Brask is making paintings that are deeply emotional and full of the weight of personal stories. She is one of the state’s most energetic artists, and she is a painter to follow.

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Originally from Seekonk, Brask studied art at Houghton College, where she graduated magna cum laude. Recent exhibitions have seen her paintings on view at HeARTspot Art Center in East Providence, Portsmouth Arts Guild, and the Attleboro Arts Museum and in 2023 she participated in a residency at Artscape Gibraltar Point in Ontario. Her work can be found in collections in places like New York, Florida, and Washington, as well as in Italy and the United Kingdom. To put it simply, she is a busy art-maker.

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

Brask has established a reputation for colorful works that blur the lines between abstraction and representation. Often, the underlying subject is a suggested landscape, overlaid with a veil of oil-saturated paint that streaks down the canvas.

 

Explaining the process behind her work, Brask goes into detail, stating, “The short version of the physical process is that I create a tedious thick-daubed pointillism oil painting, then ‘destroy’ it via pressure, time, gravity, stand oil, and alternating letting go with regaining control of, the wet viscous paint — all done alla prima in the first 48-56 hours of iterative, editing, blending, scraping and scooping. The immaterial process is about tempering anxiety, patience, trust, letting go, and allowing something beautiful to emerge from it all. Creating each painting is like a stroll in the rain for me: a fully-immersive meditative time of being able to quiet and focus my own thoughts in the sensory white-noise of rainfall.”

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

Brask’s expressive aesthetic takes on additional meaning when one learns that she has been in part influenced by the passings of her father and her father-in-law which took place in a short span of time. These life events challenged Brask personally and their emotional signature shows up across her latest paintings.

 

Speaking of what she hopes viewers take away from her work, Brask says, “I hope people see a moment in time where they’re allowed to take space to have a moment to breathe, to find some calm in the calamity. From my artwork, I hope that viewers can take away new perspectives on rainy days — I want them to take away a sense of light and hope, observing nuanced colors and textures that could be otherwise dismissed as a 'gray and gloomy' rainy day. In seeing my art, I hope viewers can take away a small bit of whatever stressed them before seeing the art, to allow in a moment of peaceful contemplation, joy, observance, meditation, or memory.”

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

Brask is a thoughtful and introspective artist whose sensitive approach lends itself to deep connections with her audience. The genuine and soul-baring nature of her art is one of the remarkable strengths of her practice.

 

Looking forward, she has a busy exhibition season ahead of her. In September, she will be featured at the Clio Art Fair in New York, in October, she will show at the Paradise City Arts Fest in Northampton, Massachusetts, in November, she will share her work at Craft Westport in Westport, Connecticut, and in December her work will be available at The Foundry Show in Pawtucket. In addition to her large-scale paintings, which are full of expressive line and color, Brask is also creating a collection of small-scale works that replicate the technique and energy of her larger paintings. These small works offer her fans the opportunity to take home a piece of her work at a very accessible scale and price point.

 

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From her studio in Rumford, Brask has produced artworks that have been exhibited across the state and beyond. Asked what it means to her to be a member of the state’s tight knit art scene, the painter says, “Being a part of the artistic community in Rhode Island means showing up for one another. It means to be open to being surprised or delighted by the unexpected nature of who or what you'll encounter as a part of RI's art community as it evolves. There's such a beautiful range of personalities, styles, approaches, and inspirations at all levels and in all corners of the state. I'm so grateful to the artists of the RI creative community that have helped me along my art path, and I hope to do the same with others.”

 

Learn more about Rachel Brask at her website www.rachelbraskrainydays.art

Michael Rose is a multi-talented fine art professional based in Southern New England. Since 2014 he has served as the gallery manager at the historic Providence Art Club, one of the nation’s oldest arts organizations. Through his current freelance work he advises collectors and artists, provides appraisal services, teaches, and completes curatorial projects.

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