Art Work

Rachael Starobin MacKay's
Artist Statement

My artworks are never planned. There are no preliminary sketches to abide by, no formal rules to follow. They just evolve, Many of my canvases are imagery derived from dreams, wishes, hopes and fears. I am very concerned with color, form, shape, symbolism, and texture; how color can spark a mood, an emotion, how texture invites the viewer to move closer, to touch, to wonder. Through these pieces it is my hope to awaken all of the senses. As an art therapist, I am concerned not only in the final fished product of a piece of art, but the process by which it was created. It is my belief that the act of creating is therapeutic and healing in and of itself.

In the words of the pioneer art therapist Florence Crane,

"Art must be born before it is clothed. I believe that in painting, above all things, it is essential to think of technique last. What we need to be taught is not art, but to believe in ourselves, our imagination, our senses, and our hands, to free our bodies and our spirits that we may work and live according to our visions."