UPCOMING:

Rachel Rickert
Rock and Sun
December 7 - January 11, 2025

Opening Reception: December 7th, 2 to 5 pm

LOWELL RYAN PROJECTS

4619 W. Washington Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016

“Men come and go, cities rise and fall, whole civilizations appear and disappear—the earth remains, slightly modified. The earth remains, and the heartbreaking beauty where there are no hearts to break...I sometimes choose to think, no doubt perversely, that man is a dream, thought an illusion, and only rock is real. Rock and sun.” ― Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness

Lowell Ryan Projects is pleased to present Rock and Sun, an exhibition featuring recent plein-air paintings by artist Rachel Rickert. Inspired by the permanence of rock and the ephemeral nature of human existence, Rickert expands the narratives of her practice by utilizing handmade paints, which she meticulously crafts from rocks and sediments collected directly from the landscapes she depicts. The paintings in Rock and Sun embody her evolving exploration of her subject matter by intensifying the connection between the artwork and its origin. This is Rickert’s second solo exhibition with the gallery.

The works in this series are painted on-site in various locations throughout the Southwest region of the United States. Rickert’s approach begins with an intuitive observation of these environments. She instinctively gathers stones, appreciating their weight, texture, and natural hues, and imagining the unique colors they might yield. The rocks and sediments are then arduously ground by hand back at her studio, transforming them into pigments, before she returns to the site to capture a vision of the landscape that initially inspired her. The rugged, earthy tones of Santa Fe’s mesas, the serene, sweeping plains of Eagle Valley in Nevada, and the sprawling, sunlit vistas of California’s Mojave Desert become infused with their own unique, untamed beauty in the hand of Rickert’s painterly gestures.

With the utilization of her own handmade pigments, a blurring between the painted image and the physicality of the terrain emerges. This process allows the illusion of representation to dissolve, transforming the artist into a conduit between nature and its depiction. Each painting, small in scale, becomes a memory—a provocation of emotion and awe—standing as a testament to the magnificence and fragility of the natural world.

INQUIRE: info@lowellryanprojects.com

Rachel Rickert: Wind and Rattlesnakes
October 14 - November 11, 2023

LOWELL RYAN PROJECTS
Los Angeles, CA 90016

Lowell Ryan Projects is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Rachel Rickert entitled Wind and Rattlesnakes. This exhibition marks Rachel Rickert's debut solo show in Los Angeles and her first collaboration with Lowell Ryan Projects. The exhibit features over thirty paintings created during this past summer in both Wyoming and Joshua Tree, CA. These oil-on-panel plein-air works offer vibrant and intimate portrayals of vast landscapes, revealing their captivating yet imposing beauty. Rickert's exuberant use of color allows her to capture the nuances of time, temperature, and weather patterns, offering unique experiential glimpses of her surroundings.

Rachel Rickert's approach to plein-air painting has evolved with her recent move from Brooklyn to Joshua Tree. This transition has transformed her practice into a literal and metaphorical journey. While the works depicting the Joshua Tree landscape are now often painted from the land surrounding her home, the works painted in Wyoming were created on hiking expeditions over the course of a month-long trip. The process of painting plein-air in both locations can be grueling, as it involves enduring harsh weather conditions such as sun, wind, rain, heat, and cold, often within the same day. However, these challenges yield intimate paintings that capture moments of sheer bliss and awe.

Although not overtly feminist in nature, Rickert’s practice is rooted in a deep respect for strong, independent women who have paved the way before her, such as Lois Dodd, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Gretel Ehrlich. Rickert chooses to focus on personal moments, emotions, and places rather than pursuing explicitly political agendas, viewing this as a genuine form of liberation and empowerment.