Artist Statement:

I am an interdisciplinary abstract landscape artist whose primary mediums are oil painting and monotype printmaking.

Photography and sketching are central to my creative process. I draw on my photography background to develop ideas, then use sketching, color studies, memory, and observation to move beyond direct photographic reference. My goal is to convey a sense of place and mood through color, rather than document specific locations.

My connection to the Pacific Ocean strongly shapes my work, which explores place, memory, and meaningful reference points, beginning with my birthplace in Hawaii. I see these elements as interconnected. Wayfinding, a navigation system based on observation and memory, is central to this exploration. Polynesian navigators crossed the Pacific by interpreting stars, the sun, ocean swells, birds, and other natural signs as clues to direction and location.

While building this body of work, I realized I often use similar navigational tools to find my focus and attention. I look for clues in the terrain that tell a story; I seek shapes with weight and presence; and I look at what the light is doing most of all. Whether diffused through rain, clouds, and trees or dazzling the sky and shores with a prismatic display, I want it all.

I aim to connect with the elements and experiences of the dynamic coastal environment. I am continually fascinated by rock formations and rugged terrain that reveal how time, erosion, and weather shape the landscape. The Pacific coasts, from the islands to the northern shorelines, are a constant source of inspiration for me. They encompass all the features that fuel my desire to create: big, moody weather, striking light, the interplay between the ocean's violence and calm, and the persistent struggle for life amid extremes.

-Rachael Bowles

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