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Marcia Rackstraw
[email protected] 505.867.3185 placitasartists.com When I discover a subject matter that interests me I tend to investigate it with a series of images, often staying with it for as long as a couple of years. |
I am interested in making images that draw the viewer into an unknown space, one that can promote a quiet contemplation, perhaps a mystery to be solved or a challenge to know what is being shared. I like the play between what is realistic and what is fanciful — the riotous colors given a black and white animal or the curious shapes of imaginary plantlife.
Over the years my work has been inspired by annual visits to the island of Kauai, a landscape dramatically different from the high desert of Placitas. There I have made many trips to Limahuli Garden and Preserve, a botanical park dedicated to preserving species native to Hawaii, to study the brilliantly lush vegetation. From this I created small landscapes of the more intimate spaces, a close-up of the plants and water, the patterns of shadows and light reflections.
That interest in patterns next lead me to a study of zebras, the intricate stripes of each animal — their “fingerprint” — and how that translates into an almost abstract image, though one that still depicts the spirit of this magnificent animal. When drawing in charcoal I work quickly to maintain the freshness and spontaneity of that medium usually completing an image in a couple of hours. Working in black and white is powerful and direct. I like to let the image grow, building on “missteps” as well as intentions, letting the animal emerge from and disappear into the formal design. With oil painting, the addition of color expands the notion of the image moving between literal and abstract. I like when the subject is fluid, seeming to at once depict the animal, engaging the viewer through the always present eye, and then slipping away into an abstraction of colors and shapes.
I have maintained an art studio in Placitas since 1985 working in charcoal, pastel and oil paint with experience in printmaking in the form of woodcuts and linocuts.
My first visit to Placitas was in 1980 and within hours of arriving I knew this was where I wanted to live and work. My husband and I relocated six months later and I continued my education at the University of New Mexico earning a BFA in 1983 and an MA in 1985. I taught painting and drawing at UNM as a graduate student and then as a visiting lecturer until 1987. Following that, I began a career as an advertising designer for a small publishing company in Albuquerque eventually graduating to Art Director, the job from which I retired in 2014. I am still involved in publishing with my freelance design business, illustrating books concerned with environmental issues.
Over the years my work has been inspired by annual visits to the island of Kauai, a landscape dramatically different from the high desert of Placitas. There I have made many trips to Limahuli Garden and Preserve, a botanical park dedicated to preserving species native to Hawaii, to study the brilliantly lush vegetation. From this I created small landscapes of the more intimate spaces, a close-up of the plants and water, the patterns of shadows and light reflections.
That interest in patterns next lead me to a study of zebras, the intricate stripes of each animal — their “fingerprint” — and how that translates into an almost abstract image, though one that still depicts the spirit of this magnificent animal. When drawing in charcoal I work quickly to maintain the freshness and spontaneity of that medium usually completing an image in a couple of hours. Working in black and white is powerful and direct. I like to let the image grow, building on “missteps” as well as intentions, letting the animal emerge from and disappear into the formal design. With oil painting, the addition of color expands the notion of the image moving between literal and abstract. I like when the subject is fluid, seeming to at once depict the animal, engaging the viewer through the always present eye, and then slipping away into an abstraction of colors and shapes.
I have maintained an art studio in Placitas since 1985 working in charcoal, pastel and oil paint with experience in printmaking in the form of woodcuts and linocuts.
My first visit to Placitas was in 1980 and within hours of arriving I knew this was where I wanted to live and work. My husband and I relocated six months later and I continued my education at the University of New Mexico earning a BFA in 1983 and an MA in 1985. I taught painting and drawing at UNM as a graduate student and then as a visiting lecturer until 1987. Following that, I began a career as an advertising designer for a small publishing company in Albuquerque eventually graduating to Art Director, the job from which I retired in 2014. I am still involved in publishing with my freelance design business, illustrating books concerned with environmental issues.
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