Artist Racquel Keller
Artist Bio
Racquel Keller’s art is found in many forms, including painting, drawing, printmaking, photography and assemblage. She constructs imagery inspired by her collection of natural specimens and vintage objects, with an eye toward putting these seemingly disparate pieces together to tell a story that captures the feeling of nostalgia these objects evoke.
Racquel earned her B.S. in Graphic Design, with a concentration in Fine Arts, from The American University and also holds a Certificate of Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University. A former Law Firm Manager, Racquel left the legal world in pursuit of her authentic self in 2012.
Presently, in addition to doing her art, she works as an Art Instructor at the Greenbelt Community Center, the College Park Arts Exchange and for select workshops at The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC. She regularly offers classes and workshops in a variety of mediums and subjects. She actively exhibits her work in the DC Metropolitan area and is a current Artist in Residence at The Greenbelt Community Center (Maryland, USA) and was recently a visiting Artist in Residence at Chateau d’Orquevaux (Orquevaux, France).
Artist Statement
The aim of my work is to create an emotional resonance for the viewer through the exploration of nostalgia and what it means to us as humans. Through my painting, I work to explore the relationship between people, objects and the power of memories to transport us to a different time and place. Ultimately, it is an exploration of why people save certain things and perhaps more significantly, an exploration of why I save things.
My work is grounded in my vast collection of natural and vintage household objects gathered over more than four decades. These objects are at once familiar and mysterious, containing stories we may never know. I paint in vibrant tones and often with a strong raking light. With carefully crafted composition and light, my paintings honor still life painting while simultaneously honoring abstract painting via an active abstracted background. While my still lifes are unmistakably modern, I paint everyday objects of daily life from a bygone era, striving to give them a deeper significance by creating a portrait which forces the viewer to see an object which they might otherwise overlook. The strength of my palette, light, and brushstroke are vital to a fuller understanding of my work.