Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Wood.
Hi Rachel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started making art when I was just a teenager but began actually taking my art more seriously during college, where I minored in art, while earning my nursing degree. I started painting for myself in 2015, just to dabble a bit more and see what I could produce. I put my brushes down again for a few years, but in September of 2020 I decided to give my art a real shot and started my art business. I’ve been going strong now making work, showing at galleries and in art shows and selling through my website for almost 6 years. I’ve loved seeing my work evolve and improve as well as get a better handle on my style as an artist.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh definitely not! Most artists are pretty terrible at the business side of things so that’s always a challenge. But some of my biggest struggles have been in trying to make my various genre interests blend together seamlessly. And then helping the right people find my work is a never ending task.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a painter. I specialize in large abstracts and small landscapes. People either come to my work because they want a statement piece to help furnish their home or office, or because they love the landscape scenes I create that feel intimate and special. Right now I’m most proud of the process that I’ve created for myself. Doing this for enough years now, I know what to do when I’m in a creative rut and how to get out of it. And I’ve learned to trust that process. Even when I am in the sticky middle, I know how to push forward to an end result I can be happy with. What sets my work apart is that it’s both approachable and unique. I love non-representational abstract work, that still has visuals that allow you to feel grounded as the viewer.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I love most about Salem is of course its beauty. I have lived my entire life here and I would never want to live outside of Oregon. else. I love that Oregon is a place where I can either be at the beach, in the desert or in the forest within just a few hours and Salem is the most central location in the valley. My second favorite thing about Salem is Minto Brown Island park. If you want to feel like you’re out of the city, 5 minutes out of town is a massive nature park.
My least favorite thing about Salem is our lack of better public transit. I live close to downtown so it’s walkable for me, but if you live anywhere else, getting somewhere by bus is tough because it’s just slow and impractical.
Contact Info:
- Website: Https://rachelwoodart.com
- Instagram: @rachelwood.art
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/rearle
