Featured Artist: RachelLaughman
RachelLaughman introduces us to modern-day coffee nymphs, tough lonely punks, and dreamy astrological creatures; her subtle details and beautiful shading keeps viewers captivated by the curious and bizarre characters.
Rachel particularly loves the fantasy world created for the Dungeons and Dragons universe. She not only appreciates how the game brings people together, but also how it encourages artists to create entirely new characters and worlds to share with each other. She respects the “fantastic creativity that people pour into it.” Likewise, fantasy elements greatly influence her own artistic style.
Although Rachel is a talented digital artist, she chooses to “dabble in traditional art every once in a while” as well. In fact, she recognizes that she’s always looking to be “the best that I can be” and enjoys learning and growing in her creative practice; she believes that the best way to grow is to never stop trying new things. She even jokes that she’d love to be able to fly like a superhero because “flying lets someone travel great distances to see new places, new people, and new cultures” and she loves being able to weave new elements into her art.
Rachel admires the French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme’s piece, “Pollice Verso”, because of “the lighting, composition and character of each person in the painting” and, similarly, the “attention to detail is phenomenal.” She often looks to other artists to find inspiration and direction for her own creative process. She tries to “practice an aspect of what they do” and then reimagine it into a style and process that fits with her own practice.
However, when it comes to her own art, she confesses that she would love to make people more “empathetic” and “the world a softer, kinder place” if possible. In fact, her own kindness shines through in her advice to artists to “take pride in your progress and how far you've come” and “never give up on yourself” because she understands that being an artist is all about growth, progress, and improvement.
