Rachael Holton

Rachael Holton: It’s all about the texture!!! When I retired from the gallery business in 2014, I had a vision to create a new line of artwork that would involve multiple mediums, material that was shiny and carried its own light, a special texture that was underneath the image, and something that has never been done before in the art world.

I begin with creating the canvas or what I call a substrate. Each painting has its own unique and professionally built frame substrate that is surfaced by a special texture and then hand-pressed with aluminum, gold leaf, or silver leaf. This process has taken me several years to perfect. It is an entirely new method, with usually 4-5 layers of work underneath the image that makes each piece a one of a kind and to the naked eye, gives the view another element of depth to discover in the painting.

This body of work is a brand new method of fusing material, paint, leaf, and beautifully detailed images as the subject matter. I use my own photography to inspire the theme of my work. I tend to use gold, silver, and copper leaf because it brings forth a unique light, creating a moment of reflection and emotion, and movement throughout the day as the light changes. All of my pieces are original, and each original image changes in its own surrounding light and atmosphere.

I have two series of works, my first series, which I call my Figurative Series. This series of paintings are a dedication to our ancestors, guardian angels, and visions. My second series, The Winged Series is a dedication to all of those beauties with wings! Having lost some very close loved ones in my life, I feel that their spirits often shine through animals, and most especially hummingbirds and other winged characters. ~Made with Love XO