RACHAEL TARRAVECHIA

About Rachael

Rachael Tarravechia (b. 1995, United States) received a B.F.A. in painting from The Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Georgia in the spring of 2018. She has exhibited her work internationally in the United States, Hong Kong, and France. Her work investigates the threshold of private versus public, and aims to capture fleeting, intimate moments of personal significance experienced and held in connection to particular locations and public spaces.

“Rachael's paintings are both bountiful and meticulous as they depict the intricate details of the home, as well as the often-peculiar nature of landscapes. However, these scenes appear slightly off; they're warped, unsettling and impossibly colourful. Her interior bathroom scenes are filled with tiles, towels and lipsticks, lined-up in abundance and sprinkled with glitter, patterns, luxury goods amid a surrealist sense of perspective. Her landscapes feel unsettling calm and eerie in contrast to the vibrant colours reminiscent of macabre movie cover from the 1980s.

As Rachel explains: "I find a lot of my inspiration through viewing old homes – whether I'm physically in the space taking photos or looking through vintage Architectural Digest magazines from the '80s," …"I also draw inspiration from disco, love songs, horror movies, and quirky little items in the dollar store."“

Once Rachel has found her inspiration, she transfers her thoughts onto paper. But first, she finds either a photo or a digital image to use as a reference point – the latter she makes herself so that she can construct her own "dream setting". Next, she plays around with colours in Photoshop then "crudely" adds her palettes to map out the compositions. Colour is highly important to the artist, so she makes sure to play around with different swatches and pairings as much as possible in the preliminary stage. "Then, I draw out the scene on the canvas, paint a two-inch border around the edges, and tape it off," she notes. "I start painting the background and then move to the foreground. Embellishments and glitter are left until the very end."

What's most interesting, though, is Rachael's subject matter. Far more than a dizzying set of aesthetically pleasing interiors, Rachael's work speaks to the overly saturated digital world we find ourselves in. By merging pop culture references with trippy perspectives, her artwork explores the "threshold between private versus public, intimacy, rosy retrospection, violence and fear," she says. "With the growing influence of social media, these topics have become more and more relevant, in my opinion. We all decide what to share and what not to share with the public, which builds a public persona. Previously private areas of our lives are now creeping their way online, and it's interesting to see where the line is drawn. How much do we share? Why do I look back at old photos of mine and consider them the 'good old days?'"

- Text adapted from Creative Boom

Rachael’s newest series of Landscapes expand on her creative horizons. They feel to us to be the natural evolution from her iconic interior scenes. In “Sin Has Consequences”, Rachael throws the viewer into an enigmatic countryside setting. The barbed wire gives an impression and willingness of trespassing. The sun is setting on a charismatic mountains-cape, and although we want to enjoy the view, our eyes are drawn to the bright red and yellow sign: “REPENT”. Are we about to embark on a night of sin? Have we sinned already and are being urged to ask forgiveness? The question draws us back to ourselves, our own identities and associations to the presented colors, words, and relationship to visual landscape before us. Are we not all sinners in one way or another after all?

Education

2018 - BFA in Painting, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA

Grants & Awards

2018 - Summa Cum Laude - Savannah College of Art and Design

2018 - BFA Painting Showcase Best in Show - Savannah College of Art and Design

2018 - Winter Painting Showcase Honorable Mention -Savannah College of Art and Design

Why we like it

• Very sought after artist

• Unique pop creative vocabulary

• High profile New York shows

• Has received a lot of press compared to peers

What others are saying

• Danielle Dewar, “Fear and Self-Loathing in Rachael Tarravechia’s Wish You Were Here”, Riot Magazine, December 2021

• Ayla Angelos, “Rachael Tarravechia's paintings are uneasy, sinister and satisfying”, Creative Boom, November 2021

• Daniel Lichterwaldt, “Interview with Rachael Tarravechia”, Les Nouveaux Riches, 2021

• Verity Babbs, “Rachael Tarravechia: Artists Inside The Industry”, Art Plugged, February 2021

What is included

• The value of the artwork (£7,000 incl. VAT)

• Collection, crating, shipping & import duties (£800 incl. VAT)

• Condition report and photography (£350 incl. VAT)

• 5% Admin fee (£400 incl. VAT)

• Insurance and storage (covered by NAAC)