Biography

The smell of turpentine and linseed oil permeates the air as Rachel focuses on connecting what she sees to the board in front of her. Maybe the smell is not appealing to her, but she enjoys painting and drawing to achieve a greater understanding of both the world that we live in and the God who created it. Her goal in life is to discover more about God through his creation, orient the trajectory of her life toward His will, and communicate to others through raising questions and presenting ideas. Rachel wants to initiate thought in individuals who relate to her and view the art that she presents.

Rachel Steely (James) was born in 1982 in Rockford, Illinois, USA. Rachel studied fine art at Asbury College. She has chosen oil as her primary medium and enjoys painting on textured surfaces. She works with still life and figurative objects in a theatrically lit setting and presents a shift of time in the paintings through movement or change of the object. She is interested in creating subtle metaphors in paintings that have layers of ideas.

She currently lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband, Stephen.

Climbing one of the four staircases in the 15th century fort, Bun Ráite, on her honeymoon in Ireland.