Rachel Rush earned her BFA from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She is a recipient of the Ted Carey prize, and Richard C. Von Hess Prize Nominee. The artist has participated in solo and group shows, including Wishbone Reserve (Baltimore, MD), Creative Alliance (Baltimore, MD), and The University of the Arts (Philadelphia, PA). She is currently the Assistant Education Director at The Creative Alliance.

Statement 

The jungle of the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico is where I draw my inspiration. There’s an untouched feeling in some secluded areas there. Sometimes, it seems surreal to me. The color of the plants, the way the light hits them, it’s a beautiful magical place. I take pictures of the places I’ve traveled, with framing and composition in mind, and then use them as my inspiration. 

My large scale oil on canvas paintings are color saturated jungle landscapes. The viewer is taken to a natural place of warmth within a colorful landscape. The colors are heightened, saturated, & unreal. Parts of the painting are realistically rendered while other areas are abstracted and fractured, leaving breathing room for the viewer’s imagination. 

I begin with a wash of acrylic paint, then I start defining the space in oil. When I’m painting it’s sometimes like a watercolor to me. Once I paint over the acrylic background I know I can get it back. I apply oil with a sensitivity to not cover up an acrylic area that has a certain feeling or color I want to keep. Some areas are realistically painted, so the areas that fall apart make sense. You can still grasp the painting as a whole, when it falls apart abstract shapes and color meld together.

CV

2007 The University of The Arts, Philadelphia, PA

BFA in Painting and Drawing

Solo Exhibits

2019 Jungles of Tulum, Wishbone Reserve, Baltimore, MD

2007 Senior Show, Anderson Hall, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Selected Group Exhibits

2020 Members Show, Creative Alliance, Baltimore, MD

2006 Student One Gallery, Hamilton Hall, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA

2006 Student Annual, Hamilton Hall, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA

2005 UArts Fine Arts, Gallery Siano, Philadelphia, PA

2005 Student Annual, Hamilton Hall, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA

2004 Selected Sculptures, Hamilton Hall, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Awards

2021 Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District Semifinalist

2007 Ted Carey Prize (awarded)

2007 Richard C. Von Hess Prize Nominee

2005 George R. Bunker Memorial Scholarship

2005 UArts Presidential Scholarship