Statement
Nature is a source of never-ending wonder and magic for me. My art is driven by my love of nature and my fascination with the transformations that nature goes through each year because these reflect our human aging process. We all change and transform as we go through the stages of aging, but echoes of our youth linger within us. Women, especially, are regarded as less vibrant and attractive as they age. By bringing attention to the beauty in a flower, leaf, or other part of nature that is “past its prime,” my work highlights the inherent worth we all retain as we age. By featuring withered parts of nature in my art, I show that even when transformations appear to be losses, value and beauty remains. I frequently include reflections and shadows in my work because they add another level of transformation in the way they carry elements of the original yet are different. My art also reflects my process of healing from traumatic experiences. I use minimalism to express how, at times, the only way I got through my experiences was by focusing on the tiny, small details. I use negative space in my art to isolate the subject and focus the viewer’s attention on the detail in the small pieces of nature I photograph. My photographs intentionally have no sense of scale. Most items in my photos are 3” or smaller, but the sense of scale is removed because these items have been taken from nature and isolated. Abstracting them out their environment and removing the sense of scale also brings attention to the detail on these small pieces. Bio Originally from Texas, Rachel McLain moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1998 and currently lives in Olympia, Washington. She takes every opportunity she can to absorb the magical, natural beauty of the area. Rachel’s award-winning art has been exhibited in many juried, group, and solo shows. Her art is part of permanent art collections in the United States and graces private collections internationally.