Back to Gallery Next Artist - Sophia Gutierrez
Rachel Elliott
RACHEL ELLIOTT
Handle With Care
Sea Star (Protoreaster nodosus)
Jaguar (Panthera onca)
Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) (SOLD)
Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Oil on canvas
$300 each
Email museum@westmont.edu for purchasing inquiries
The fragility of glass requires us to handle it with care. In the same way, the fragility of the endangered species that inhabit the earth necessitates careful treatment of both these animals and our environment. As a Christian, I see it as my duty to act justly by caring for what God has created. Part of this process includes bringing these issues to the attention of others so that we can work together to solve them for the good of our whole world. Each of the species depicted in my series are currently threatened by human actions: creatures depicted in yellow are most threatened by habitat loss; those painted in red are being hunted, killed, or poached; those in blue are threatened by rising water temperatures; those in green are experiencing population loss on account of deforestation; and the inclusion of orange represents those whose populations are waning due to litter.
Each image is based on my own reference photography of glass animal sculptures. I am fascinated with the way light, when reflected on transparent surfaces, can highlight or distort the image. My photography courses introduced me to the bokeh effect, when light is visually reduced to spherical points of color and the background is blurred. The paintings take advantage of the blending capabilities of oil paint to emphasize this phenomenon.
-Rachel Elliott
Hear From The Artist!
Sea Star (Protoreaster nodosus)
Oil on canvas
20" x 20"
$300
Jaguar (Panthera onca)
Oil on canvas
20" x 20"
$300
Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) (SOLD)
Oil on canvas
20" x 20"
$300
Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Oil on canvas
20" x 20"
$300