ARTIST STATEMENT
They say Midwest winters build character, but sometimes the character they build is just a sad, sad girl. These works make up a series lovingly called Sad Girl Season and they were created in response to my first experience with Seasonal Affective Disorder. My work is focused on prioritizing joy and finding it wherever you can, even when everything is terrible.. or it just feels that way because the sun goes down at 4:30.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Rachel is a self-taught artist based in Chicago’s North Shore. She embraces a “more is more” approach to color and texture to create vibrant and playful art.
“My work is a reflection of my {neurodiverse} mind, overwhelmed and chaotic but always driven toward joy. I grew up as a closeted queer kid in the rural south. Joy was something I sang about on Sundays (and Wednesday nights, IYKYK), but it did not belong to me. My work is about reclaiming joy, especially when it is hard to find. Shamelessly prioritizing pleasure for pleasure’s sake when the world is on fire is a rebellious act of self-compassion. It requires intentionally making space for it. My work is created from that space, and it’s loud on purpose.”
© Rachel Mars