RACHAEL ZUR - NOVEMBER 2021
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Rachael Zur. I’m a painter and mother of three children living in the greater Portland metropolitan area. My work blends sculptural physicality with more traditional painting techniques. The subject matter of my work explores the relationship between objects that can be found in living rooms and the lingering domestic presence of the departed. I’m fond of old buildings, looking at outdated items at estate sales and thrift shops, and finding four leaf clovers.
My name is Rachael Zur. I’m a painter and mother of three children living in the greater Portland metropolitan area. My work blends sculptural physicality with more traditional painting techniques. The subject matter of my work explores the relationship between objects that can be found in living rooms and the lingering domestic presence of the departed. I’m fond of old buildings, looking at outdated items at estate sales and thrift shops, and finding four leaf clovers.
Where are you and what are you currently working on?
I’m making paintings about the remaining radiance of lives lived, stars in the sky, and humble objects from living rooms. Looking at stars in space is a lot like looking at a harvest gold sofa in the thrift store—seeing these objects is about seeing the past. The connection between the ordinary and the sublime is something that fascinates me.
Simultaneously, I am making small ceramic sculptures of sea urchins and busts of forgotten female ancestors. When my children were learning from home last year due to the pandemic, there were many times that I felt like I was drowning in responsibility. I started making the small busts of forgotten female ancestors as a way of paying homage to the women before me who were buried under domestic responsibilities—not just during a pandemic but indefinitely. The urchin is a symbol for fertility, and I’ve been thinking of fertility as something that can be a thought or what I make with my hands— fertility as creative energy.
I’m making paintings about the remaining radiance of lives lived, stars in the sky, and humble objects from living rooms. Looking at stars in space is a lot like looking at a harvest gold sofa in the thrift store—seeing these objects is about seeing the past. The connection between the ordinary and the sublime is something that fascinates me.
Simultaneously, I am making small ceramic sculptures of sea urchins and busts of forgotten female ancestors. When my children were learning from home last year due to the pandemic, there were many times that I felt like I was drowning in responsibility. I started making the small busts of forgotten female ancestors as a way of paying homage to the women before me who were buried under domestic responsibilities—not just during a pandemic but indefinitely. The urchin is a symbol for fertility, and I’ve been thinking of fertility as something that can be a thought or what I make with my hands— fertility as creative energy.
What’s your studio routine like? Any zany habits?
When my kids are at school, or last year when they were being home schooled, once their school day is underway I get to work in the studio. Setting aside time in the mornings is ideal for me, though with my studio being at home in my garage, I sneak in there at whatever hour of the day I can. I usually have a few pieces that I’m working on at the same time, with some works reaching completion rapidly and others taking their sweet time. Allowing for the work to move at its own pace is important; the slower moving work needs for me to understand something that I’m not yet grasping before it’s completed. Each piece has its own intelligence that I respect and listen to.
As far as zany habits, I’m drawn to working on the ground. I have a table to make work at, but often I end up spreading my work across the floor and approaching it from that angle.
When my kids are at school, or last year when they were being home schooled, once their school day is underway I get to work in the studio. Setting aside time in the mornings is ideal for me, though with my studio being at home in my garage, I sneak in there at whatever hour of the day I can. I usually have a few pieces that I’m working on at the same time, with some works reaching completion rapidly and others taking their sweet time. Allowing for the work to move at its own pace is important; the slower moving work needs for me to understand something that I’m not yet grasping before it’s completed. Each piece has its own intelligence that I respect and listen to.
As far as zany habits, I’m drawn to working on the ground. I have a table to make work at, but often I end up spreading my work across the floor and approaching it from that angle.
What are your favorite materials to work with?
I’m always looking for fabrics with texture or pattern that I can include in my work. The materials I use most frequently are: plywood, plaster gauze, spray paint, acrylic paint, and ceramic pieces I make to attach to my paintings. I work with items that have weight to them to ground the ephemeral concepts of the work into materials that are solid and fixed. The fixed object (the art piece) holds the ideas and feelings which are light and almost impossible to contain—similar to how homes can hold the lingering domestic presence of the departed.
I’m always looking for fabrics with texture or pattern that I can include in my work. The materials I use most frequently are: plywood, plaster gauze, spray paint, acrylic paint, and ceramic pieces I make to attach to my paintings. I work with items that have weight to them to ground the ephemeral concepts of the work into materials that are solid and fixed. The fixed object (the art piece) holds the ideas and feelings which are light and almost impossible to contain—similar to how homes can hold the lingering domestic presence of the departed.
How has your work changed over the years?
As recently as five years ago, I didn’t trust the connections I saw in materials or concepts. Looking back, I can see that the portrait paintings I made of my kids had a lot to do with my interest in domestic space, or that the abstract paintings I made were about curiosity in materials and form. My artistic interests used to seem disparate to me and I felt drawn to too many ideas and ways of working. It seemed that maybe the only way to address this would be to commit to one way of working and abandon other ways of making work or of looking at the world, though that never sat well with me. Resolution came when I realized I alone was building my own language around the materials and ideas that I was drawn to—and that while research is helpful in an art practice, ultimately I had to look to myself to decide what my practice could hold both conceptually and in terms of materials.
As recently as five years ago, I didn’t trust the connections I saw in materials or concepts. Looking back, I can see that the portrait paintings I made of my kids had a lot to do with my interest in domestic space, or that the abstract paintings I made were about curiosity in materials and form. My artistic interests used to seem disparate to me and I felt drawn to too many ideas and ways of working. It seemed that maybe the only way to address this would be to commit to one way of working and abandon other ways of making work or of looking at the world, though that never sat well with me. Resolution came when I realized I alone was building my own language around the materials and ideas that I was drawn to—and that while research is helpful in an art practice, ultimately I had to look to myself to decide what my practice could hold both conceptually and in terms of materials.
Who else do you recommend we look at / read / listen to / cook with?
This year I had the pleasure of working with Kilee Price who runs Stone House Art Gallery in Charlotte, NC, and Raquel Mullins who runs Wavelength Space in Chattanooga, TN. I’ve really been enjoying seeing the exhibitions coming out of both of these spaces, I recommend looking both of these galleries up. Right now I’m reading Expanded Painting by Mark Titmarsh and its giving structure to things I’ve intuitively understood about painting and wanted the words for.
As for cooking, I’m finding that cayenne pepper goes with more things than I would expect—especially with sweets. I have plans for finding out the right ratio of cayenne pepper to put into flourless chocolate cake.
This year I had the pleasure of working with Kilee Price who runs Stone House Art Gallery in Charlotte, NC, and Raquel Mullins who runs Wavelength Space in Chattanooga, TN. I’ve really been enjoying seeing the exhibitions coming out of both of these spaces, I recommend looking both of these galleries up. Right now I’m reading Expanded Painting by Mark Titmarsh and its giving structure to things I’ve intuitively understood about painting and wanted the words for.
As for cooking, I’m finding that cayenne pepper goes with more things than I would expect—especially with sweets. I have plans for finding out the right ratio of cayenne pepper to put into flourless chocolate cake.
Any exciting projects on the horizon?
My work is going to be included in New American Paintings, Pacific Coast, issue #151. I’ve been a fan of New American Paintings for a long time, so I’m really excited about this! I also have a two person show with Penny Cagney at Clovis Community College, curated by Jamie Nakagawa Boley for spring of 2022. I met Penny and Jamie while we were completing our MFAs at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and I’m looking forward to the conversations I’m going to get to have with these two amazing thinkers in the months leading up to the exhibition.
My work is going to be included in New American Paintings, Pacific Coast, issue #151. I’ve been a fan of New American Paintings for a long time, so I’m really excited about this! I also have a two person show with Penny Cagney at Clovis Community College, curated by Jamie Nakagawa Boley for spring of 2022. I met Penny and Jamie while we were completing our MFAs at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and I’m looking forward to the conversations I’m going to get to have with these two amazing thinkers in the months leading up to the exhibition.