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ABOUT

MagnoliaDesignStudio_RachelPieters_07-04-21_004.jpg

photograph by Magnolia Design Studio

In my new body of work, I’m creating pieces inspired by songs or specific lines from songs, especially the works of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, interpreting with color the ways they make me feel, and exploring the lyrics or sentiments within the music that shares a story or perspective. 

 

The complex lives of professional entertainers and style-makers have always fascinated me. In my work, I attempt to capture my subjects' humanity in their intimate moments, and also explore the ways they transform and express themselves creatively. I grew up on Madonna, movies, MTV, and Vogue magazine, and have always been enamored by both the on-stage magic and the behind-the-scenes, transfixed by the idea that anyone can create a persona and perform for an audience—seemingly becoming a different person—and then wipe it all away, remove their costume, and live as a regular, anonymous citizen in the comfort (or messiness) of their own life in such a separate and removed way. I think this duality of life speaks to all of us on some level. 

I'm a Contemporary Realist artist , often exploring different mediums, though I work mainly in oils and pencil. I chased the elusive mastery of my artistic abilities from the time I was a young child until I completed high school, putting it aside for twenty-three years after a decision to pursue Graphic Design and writing, with the understanding that being an artist was not a feasible career. I was gifted my grandfather’s paints and brushes in 2018 and began the chase again.

I'm highly influenced by the various moods, textures, and themes conjured by stories, music, and fashion, as well as by historical masters like Rembrandt, DaVinci, Vermeer, and The Wyeths, and by contemporary masters like Bo Bartlett, Kehinde Wiley, Mark Pugh, and Margaret Bowland.

EXHIBITIONS

2024

Love, 33PA/33 Contemporary, virtual show

Paint Ontario 2024, Grand Bend Art Centre, Grand Bend, Ontario

Variations Through Colour Artist Exhibition, Windsor Symphony Orchestra (WSO), Windsor, Ontario

My Funny Valentine, 33PA/33 Contemporary, virtual show

2023

Mujer, 33 Contemporary, virtual show

2022

Out of the Shadows, On to the Streets, Art Windsor-Essex (AWE), Windsor, Ontario

I Am Here: Home Movies & Everyday Masterpieces, Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), Toronto, Ontario

She Is, Art of Emotions Fine Art Gallery, Toronto, Ontario

The Black + White Gala, Fernweh Events, Windsor, Ontario

Mujer, 33 Contemporary, virtual show

 

2021

Postcards for the Holidays, 33 Contemporary, virtual show

2021 Square Foot Show, Westland Gallery, London, Ontario

Pride & Joy, Art Gallery of Windsor (AGW), Windsor, Ontario

Portraits of Resilience, Art Gallery of Ontario, virtual show

Thirty Six by Forty Eight Show, Nancy Johns Gallery, Windsor, Ontario

*QUEEN FOR A DAY, Windsor, Ontario, SOLO SHOW

Summer Heat Annual Exhibition, ACWR, virtual show

Music/Man, 33 Contemporary, virtual show

International Women's Day Postcard Pop UP Show, 33 Contemporary, virtual show

 

2020

Good Things Come In Small Packages, 33 Contemporary, virtual show

2020 Square Foot Show, Westland Gallery, London, Ontario

147th Annual Open Juried Art Exhibition, Ontario Society of Artists (OSA), virtual show

The Poppy Art Campaign, The Art Incubator & Coulter's, Windsor, Ontario

Thirty x Forty Show, Nancy Johns Gallery, Windsor, Ontario

Art & Chill: Quarantine Exhibition, Nancy Johns Gallery, virtual show

2019

Conceal/Reveal, Nancy Johns Gallery, Windsor, Ontario

Twenty x Thirty Show, Nancy Johns Gallery, Windsor, Ontario

Publications

#hashtag Art Magazine/33PA, "Love" feature, Summer 2024

Poets Artists, "Mujer" exhibition catalog, March 2023

CBC, "New exhibit aims to make the history of Windsor's LGBTQ community visible" news article, August 2022

Windsor Star, "Museum shines spotlight on 180 years of  Windsor-Essex LGBTQ history" news article, August 2022

Poets Artists, "Mujer" exhibition catalog, March 2022

#hashtag Art Magazine/33PA, "Sex, Drugs & Rock n' Roll" feature, May 2021

#hashtag Art Magazine/33PA, "Music/Man" feature, March 2021

Poets Artists, "Music/Man" exhibition catalog, March 2021

Collections

Museum Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, CANADA

Dr. Samuel Peralta Collection, Toronto, Ontario, CANADA

Grants & Prizes

Arts, Culture & Heritage Fund Grant, 2021, Windsor, Ontario

Windsor Endowment for the Arts Grant, 2020, Windsor, Ontario

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