about the artist

Hello, and welcome to my site! My name is Rachel, I'm 24, and I'm currently working towards a Bachelor's of Fine Arts at UNG's Gainesville campus.

I've been an artist since I was old enough to hold a paintbrush and have filled countless sketchbooks in my time making art.

Through my time in college level art courses, I've developed a love for oil painting and portraiture and I'm very excited to continue expanding my skillset.

I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Chronic Migraine when I was 16. This huge adjustment to my life forced me to drop out of public high school and my days were spent in bed or in doctor’s offices. I was very fortunate to have the support of an online private school that accommodated me and my newfound disabilities into graduation.

I took a gap year after that as a way to give myself the right time and care to take the next steps in my future. My condition improved slightly with the right medications, and I was able to begin at a college local to my parents’ house. After about a year or two of taking semesters two classes at a time, my condition worsened in other ways.

my journey

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia when I was 20. This disability has drastically altered my life. I have good days and bad days, days where I can enjoy time with my friends and family, and days where I’m stuck in my dark bedroom with widespread, debilitating pain. Often times, I’m somewhere in between.

With each new doctor or medication, I improve in some ways and worsen in others. The most recent development in my health is the diagnosis of Hashimoto’s disease, where I learned my immune system is mistakenly attacking my thyroid.

All of this to say, I have a lot of feelings to get out in the form of art. I’ve suffered in ways that I need to create about in order to process.

But I also need to capture the things that make life worth living despite everything that weighs me down.

I have a lot to say. Well, not verbally. I have a lot I want to tell you using my art.