Rachel Rickert: Wind and Rattlesnakes
Lowell Ryan Projects is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Rachel Rickert entitled Wind and Rattlesnakes. This exhibition marks Rachel Rickert's debut solo show in Los Angeles and her first collaboration with Lowell Ryan Projects. The exhibit features over thirty paintings created during this past summer in both Wyoming and Joshua Tree, CA. These oil-on-panel plein-air works offer vibrant and intimate portrayals of vast landscapes, revealing their captivating yet imposing beauty. Rickert's exuberant use of color allows her to capture the nuances of time, temperature, and weather patterns, offering unique experiential glimpses of her surroundings.
Rachel Rickert's approach to plein-air painting has evolved with her recent move from Brooklyn to Joshua Tree. This transition has transformed her practice into a literal and metaphorical journey. While the works depicting the Joshua Tree landscape are now often painted from the land surrounding her home, the works painted in Wyoming were created on hiking expeditions over the course of a month-long trip. The process of painting plein-air in both locations can be grueling, as it involves enduring harsh weather conditions such as sun, wind, rain, heat, and cold, often within the same day. However, these challenges yield intimate paintings that capture moments of sheer bliss and awe.
Although not overtly feminist in nature, Rickert’s practice is rooted in a deep respect for strong, independent women who have paved the way before her, such as Lois Dodd, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Gretel Ehrlich. Rickert chooses to focus on personal moments, emotions, and places rather than pursuing explicitly political agendas, viewing this as a genuine form of liberation and empowerment.
Rachel Rickert was born in 1990 in Bethesda, MD, and lives and works in Joshua Tree, CA. She received her MFA from the New York Studio School in 2015, and her BFA from Washington University in St. Louis in 2012. Rickert has exhibited with galleries including Alice Gauvin Gallery, Portland, ME; Auxier Kline, New York, NY; Danese/Corey, New York, NY; Jill Newhouse Gallery, New York, NY; The Painting Center, New York, NY; and Capsule Shanghai, Shanghai, China. She has participated in residencies including ACI Artists, Writers and Scholars Residency, Corciano, Italy; Jentel Artist Residency, Banner, WY; and the Vermont Studio Center Residency, Johnson, VT. Her works are represented in public and private collections such as the Xiao Museum of Contemporary Art, Shandong, China, and the Boise City Department of Arts and History, Boise, ID. Rickert’s work has been reviewed and discussed in publications such as Two Coats of Paint, The Paris Review, Art Spiel, Canvas Rebel, The New Criterion, and Art Critical.