Rachel Steely : Indianapolis Fine Art Artist : Art Class Instructor for Painting, Photography » artist

Artist Residency: La Macina di San Cresci

Rachel — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 22:00:55 +0000

Often when one visits a place one says with conviction that they will return. I remember hearing my friend, who I traveled through Italy with in 2004, say that. However, I did not say that I would return. Not that I did not want to, it just was not part of my plan and I did not want to say it unless it was going to happen. Although the trip in 2004 was a brief four days, I did fall in love with Florence. Now, I am back. In April 2011, my proposal was accepted and I am currently a resident artist at La Macina di San Cresci , near Greve-in-Chianti, Tuscany,Italy. The program is run by the hospitable Duccio Trassinelli and Demetria Verduci. They have gone out of their way to help me get what I need and make me feel welcome.

My husband keeps asking me what it looks like around the residency, so I thought I would post some images of my surroundings. In the coming weeks I hope to post reflections, sketches, and works in progress.

The view from my studio: Castello di Montefioralle

A close up

The Studio:

La Macina Di San Cresci:

Door to the Artist House where I am living:

Q&A with the artist (part 1)

Rachel — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 14:59:46 +0000

Recently, someone asked to interview me for a project of theirs, and I considered how some artist appear to others as aloof or distance. There’s often a lot going on in our minds (intellectually and emotional). I’d take a moment here in my blog to share where I am coming from when I make my work. Below are some of the questions he asked.

Were you influenced by someone special (other artist(s), teachers, a family member, friend, etc.)?
My father, Allen Steely, has always been interested in photography as a hobby and he influenced me by seeing and pointing out the beauty in the world around me. In college, my painting professor, Kevin Sparks, greatly influenced how I look at painting and communicate through metaphor. I have been influenced by a variety of great artists from the past including and not limited to the following: Caspar David Friedrich, Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Kathe Kollwitz, Lucian Freud. Recently I have been influenced by local Indiana artists Caroline Mecklin and Jim Gerard.

What do you generally try to achieve with your art?
Through painting and drawing, I attempt to create subtle metaphors layer by layer in order that I might achieve a greater understanding of the natural world. I work with natural objects juxtaposed with transitions in time. I try to walk the line between abstraction and realism and create a composition that speaks to a viewer on several levels.

What were you trying to communicate with the piece Black & White Herd?
The current work begins with butterflies as a reference point and then takes flight into an examination of speed, pattern, and the imagination.

Do you feel you were successful?
Yes, to some extent. I am always looking ways to improve, and better visually present, and communicate.

What medium or media do you prefer and why?
I prefer oils, because I am interested in how the process parallels my thought process. Also, I like the way that the finished oil painting looks. I enjoy the depth and variation of colors, tones, and light. I recently have been interested in using watercolor focusing on the transparency of the colors. I also enjoy working in black and white charcoal, conte, and digital photography.

How would you describe your artistic process?
For this past series: I carefully consider my subject matter and different implications that the viewer might generate when they encounter the subject matter. Then I decide on a composition that is dynamic. I pick a canvas shape and size that will enhance the dynamic, moving, living nature of the piece. Then, I begin to block out the basic shapes of the butterfly wings so that they open or close. I decide which wings I want to hide during the opening and closing process. I begin by looking at an actual butterfly (or an image I took with my camera (I prefer not to use the camera, but with butterflies, I sometimes have to in order to figure out the patterns on the wings). Then I put away the picture and develop the painting layer by layer adding a light source with shadows, and developing the colors so that the painting is unified. I try to keep the initial ideas of time, motion, life, struggle, overcoming, etc. in front of me during the process so that I do not become lost in the process.

Has your art changed substantially during your career? If so, how?
The unifying theme of my major series has been animation and an interest in the metaphysical ideas of speed and time as seen in joints of bones, flowers, and butterflies. (I call my paintings “dynamic still life”) As I move ahead, I intend to keep that theme, but am open to other ideas as I grow as an artist.

Patterns in Flight show at Asbury University

admin — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 16:19:24 +0000

My alma mater, Asbury University (formerly Asbury College) has asked me to show my butterfly series, Patterns in Flight. The show will be on view from January 15 until March 25. The twelve-piece series is located in the Kenyon Room of the Morrison-Kenyon Student Center.

The hours of the center are:
Mon-Thu. 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 a.m.
Fri. 7:30 a.m. – 1 a.m.
Sat. 10 a.m. – 1 a.m.
Sun. 1:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.

I have also been asked to give a presentation about my series to faculty, students and the public on Friday, March 4. The location has yet to be announced. Please contact me for the specific location and time.

Patterns in Flight
January 15 – March 25, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011 – Series presentation and discussion
Morrison-Kenyon Student Center
Asbury University
1 Macklem Dr.
Wilmore, Kentucky 40390

Patterns in Flight is a twelve-piece oil painting series that provokes thoughts on time, refined beauty, and overcoming struggles. It contains a variety of butterfly species: painted ladies, a blue morpho, malachites, a citris swallowtail, postmans, a variable cracker and a zebra longwing.

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Rachel Steely (James) has always been drawn to natural, organic objects and chooses to portray them with oil on textured surfaces. Often, she presents her subject in “dynamic still life” with a shift of time through movement or growth-decay. Steely is originally from the rust-belt city of Rockford, Illinois. She left the manufacturing town to study fine art at Asbury College and find inspiration among the rolling hills and forests of rural Kentucky. Although consistently representational, she strives to create subtlety layered visual and philosophical metaphors. In 2005, Steely returned to the country’s heartland where she is active in the local art community of Indianapolis, Indiana. Next to oil painting, her greatest passion is helping others appreciate art by teaching private classes. She leads and inspires students of all ages from her studio.

Works at Oranje: Contemporary art & music event

admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:45:00 +0000

My three latest butterfly works, After Thistles, Fluttering Cosmopolitan, and Cynthesis will be on display this Saturday, October 19th from 8pm to 2am at Oranje, a contemporary art & music event. Wug Laku of Wug Laku’s Studio and Garage is representing my work at booth 17.

Wug will be displaying his drawings, digital art prints, light boxes, and furniture along with the jewelry of Nancy Lee (I’m sure she’ll be there, too!) and the mixed media of Cagney King –among others. They will be recreating the feel of his gallery in their 22′ x 24′ mega-booth for an intimate discussion with the artists. This past weekend, they were practically living there getting the space ready.

Tickets to the event are $20 and is only open to 21 and older.

Oranje
Wug Laku / Booth 17
2323 North Illinois
Indianapolis, IN 46208

Paintings at Indianapolis Visual Fringe 2009

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:05:58 +0000

I have three of my butterfly paintings in the 2009 IndyFringe Festival. Thistles, Fluttering Cosmopolitan, and Cynthesis were mentioned in my prior post, Trio of Painted Lady Butterflies. You can see thumbnails in that post. These works can be seen at Henry’s on East, 627 East Street, Friday, August 7, 5 – 9 pm. Cafes, theaters and spaces along Mass Ave. have been transformed into art galleries for the IndyFringe Festival. Add it to your usual IDADA First Friday Art Walk on August 7th. I hope to see you there, but if you can’t make that Friday, then the work will be on display until August 30th.

You can vote

Make sure to stop by the temporary galleries to vote for your favorite piece of art to become one of those “Be Indypendent” stickers you have seen on your neighbors’ cars. Complimentary Barefoot Bubbly champagne cocktails will be served at each Fringe gallery, too.

The 2009 VisualFringe galleries are: Mass Ave Wine Shoppe, Theatre on the Square, Franklin Barry Gallery, Henry’s on East, Hoaglin To Go Café, Herron School of Art and Design at The Earth House, and the Fringe Gallery. Visit IndyFringe for more info and full gallery addresses.

Opening Quick Facts

August 7, 5 – 9 pm
Henry’s on East
627 East Street

Trio of Painted Lady Butterflies

Rachel — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:00:38 +0000

These three paintings are inspired by the painted lady butterfly. I have entitled them temporarily (left to right): After Thistles, Fluttering Cosmopolitan, and Cynthesis. These titles have their roots in scientific classification, common association, and/or metaphors. Ideas and intellectual direction for the entire butterfly series are still taking shape.

What do you think? Please offer me feedback and take a look at the first three paintings in this series. At present their potential titles are Flight of the Painted Lady, Vanessa Made Up, and Seeing Past by Present.

Stutz Artist Open House 2009

Rachel — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 14:27:22 +0000

While visiting the Stutz Artist Open House on Friday night, I got my temporary fill of art. Of all the artists that I saw that night, I am going to mention the following few: Caroline Mecklin, Derek Powell, Vicky Shaffer White, Mark Pack, and the artists in Suite B240.

I was introduced to the work of Caroline Mecklin two years ago when I visited the Stutz Artist Open House for the first time. I have not forgotten her work, and was looking forward to seeing her studio again this year. Her dynamic figures are rich with the life she sees in her live models.

Derek Powell has a studio tucked away at the end of the third floor. His work mostly consists of soft, misty landscapes painted with limited palates. There were also three black and white ink drawings that were reminiscent of Rouault without the color. Their titles, The Last Supper I, II, and III also added to their connection with Rouault.

This past spring I have been drawing on Friday mornings with a group of other artists. One of the artists is Vicky Shaffer White. Vicky presented a slue of nice flower pieces from the past few years; however, I preferred her calm, elegant, clothed figures that she had placed outside her studio.

Mark Pack is one of the artists in residence this year at the Stutz. I have seen his work before and due to my love of the natural world, am fascinated by the intricate designs in his carved acrylic paintings.

Three diverse artists share studio B240. Kate Oberreich had a series of small paintings entitled “A Happy Home”. I met Kate last summer when she was a part of Elegant Funk. Her work is a collage of words and images that provoke thought. She uses realistic images in an abstract manner. Ginny Taylor Rosner photographs empty interiors giving insight into what contemporary man abandons and leaves behind. Carol L. Myers is a print maker who is newly exploring watercolor as a way to express her visual ideas. Themes of snail shells and trees run through her present work.

It was a great night at the Stutz and that is just a taste of what I saw.

Authenticity or Accuracy

Rachel — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:18:37 +0000

There is a thread of thought that scoffs images, stories, and other communications which tell a story in a historically inaccurate way. Those who follow this thought pattern would tear apart Pieter Brueghel II’s Census at Bethlehem completed in 1605. I spent some time studying this painting last fall while in the Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht, The Netherlands. This painting is referring to the Biblical and historical account where Caesar Augustus called for a census to be taken of the people in the Roman Empire. People had to return to where their family originated. In the Biblical account this is why Mary and Joseph, who lived in Nazereth, were in Bethlehem when Jesus was born. Bethlehem is a Jewish city from the time of the Roman Empire right? Well not in Brueghal’s image. His Bethlehem is complete with medieval Belgian city, a Northern European castle, snow on the ground with a snow ball fight, a Christian church (before Christ was born?), and a wild boar (definitely not Kosher) being slaughtered. Not quite the accurate picture of Bethlehem as we imagine it, however, consider the original audience of the image. Consider that the audience could relate to the setting, and that most who viewed the picture had probably never traveled very far from their home city in their life. Without pictures of what far away places look like, one tends to consider everywhere the same as where one is. Also, the story takes upon itself the life of the common man. The story becomes integrated into the the 17th century Dutch life and not a pious thing above their reach. Is the story more authentic* when it is historically accurate but unrelated to the culture in which it is told, or is it more authentic* when it is told within a culture taking on meaning that those viewing the image can understand?

*I am using the word authentic and not the word accurate.

Variations on a Theme Part 1

Rachel — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:00:37 +0000

Art has the power to teach us something new about the mundane in life. Sometimes art portrays the beautiful, sometimes the ugly. This past fall when I had the opportunity to walk through several museums in the Netherlands and Germany, I came across four paintings that presented the biblical account of the crucifixion of Christ in unexpected or at least different ways. They present four artist perspectives from painters who lived in four different centuries.
Perhaps the oldest Crucifixion image that entranced me while visiting museums last fall was a painting done in 1512 by Hans Baldung, The Crucifixion. I found it in the Gemaldegalerie museum Berlin, Germany. Partially, I was caught off guard by the interpretation of the cross being an actual tree stump instead of a slab of wood. The closer I looked the more I captivated I was in the anguished face of the girl who clung to the foot of the cross. This is most likely a portrayal of Mary Magdalene who is often portrayed in medieval Christian art as a symbol of a penitent sinner. Her emotion and posture attracted me to this particular image.

There was a series of paintings that Rembrandt van Rijn did concerning the life of Christ in the Alte Pinakothek Museum in Munich, Germany. I may mention the series later, but one in the series was of the crucifixion. This painting is interesting because it captures the moment when the cross is hoisted into an upright position. While two thugs push and pull it into place, there is a third figure bracing the cross. The third figure is a self-portrait of Rembrandt. He is placing himself among the others who are crucifying Christ. He is saying that he, like them, is a sinner.

(Rembrandt is in the center near Christ’s feet)

First Friday Art Tour Part III

Rachel — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:51:40 +0000

April 3, 2009 – Part III: Harrison Center for the Arts

Time was running short and I went to the Harrison Center for the Arts as my last stop in the First Friday Hop. Here I met up with fellow Yarn Burners to play Bingo and create a square for our group project. Then I hurried up to see the show in the gallery.

Susan Hodgin has her new work entitled “Cairns” in the Harrison Center Gallery. I began and completed the night with artwork that progressed through careful exploration of ideas. Susan Hodgin’s paintings are created with oil paint and charcoal. Sometimes the charcoal showed through layers of paint, and at other times, the charcoal was applied on top of the paint. There are many layers in the paintings, and one can see a swirl pattern of uplifted surface that lies underneath the paint and charcoal. The oil paint is unmixed and yet this variant of color and tone is not used to increase a three dimensional look of the painting, but rather emphasizes the graphic quality and two-dimensional nature of the painting. Susan uses geometric shapes, but instead of the shapes appearing mechanical, they appear organic. Most of the backgrounds, although they have color and light fading softly in and out, are somewhat flat, which counterparts nicely with the foreground. Helium, on the other hand, is a painting that jumped out to me because the background seems more alive with light. The background of Helium interacts more completely with the foreground “circles” of color. It is a pleasing body of work.