statement

My work explores the luminosity and subtlety of light and color. Using acrylic urethane and polymer on paper, canvas and panel, I combine transparent layers of paint with drawn graphite lines to create precise undulating grids and linear patterns that play with the perception of space. In addition to evoking geometry, the pieces also create a visceral sensory experience.

The scale of my work ranges from intimate to greater than life size and some of the pieces wrap onto the floor and bend off of the wall off to further engage the physical environment that they occupy. The combination of scale and format invite the viewer to become part of a shifting space of color and light.

bio

born: 1977, Bloomington, Indiana

education

Boston University, MFA, 2005
University of Dayton, BFA, 1995

selected awards/honors

Blanche E. Colman Award, Boston, MA, 2012
Artist-in-Residence Award, Ragdale Foundation,  2012
Artist-in-Residence Award, Platte Clove, 2010
Chelsea Cultural Council Grant, Chelsea, MA, 2007

selected publications

Lexington Art League, More is More. Lexington, KY, 2011

selected solo or two-person exhibits

Chromatic Boundaries, 2nd Street Gallery, Charlottesville, VA, 2012
Whitescapes: Paintings by Rachel Hellmann, Greenleaf Gallery, Whittier College, Whittier, CA, 2011
New Work by Rachel Hellmann and Jared Ward, Florida Community College, Jacksonville, FL 2005
Pinturas por Rachel Hellmann, Casa de Cultura, San Salvador, El Salvador, 2002

selected group shows

Evolving Structures, Cade Gallery, Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold, VA, 2012
Community of Artists, Danforth Museum of Art, Framingham, MA, 2012
SightLines, 13Forest Gallery, Arlington, MA, 2012
Chain Letter, Samson Projects, Boston, MA, 2011