Rachel Fia, Artist & Illustrator
Florida, USA
I’ve done a variety of styles and mediums of artwork. Some of my favorites include ceramic sculpture. I liked the rawness of smelling the clay and digging my hands into the earth like a child again. There are a lot of steps to ceramics and the process is part of the pleasure–in working all of the stages.
My other passion has been figure drawing with soft chalk pastels. I started drawing live models timidly with pencils on a small pad. I found that I needed more space, and graduated to a large 18×24 pad and began using charcoal. I needed color, so I discovered Rembrandt chalk pastels. I ditched the black and only use color in my life drawings in the spirit of impressionism. However, my figures are expressionist and emotional. I love the textures of the chalk and when I’m drawing the chalk starts flying. When I’m done with a session there’s always a pool of colorful dust on the floor. In high school, my graphic arts teacher called me “the girl with the heavy hand”. He was a sign painter and showed me how to steady my hand by touching something else. He also said that it was preferred to have a shaky hand, that it meant that you had strength and control.
My newest direction in art is illustrating children in natural and relaxed scenes. Since subject matters are more difficult to find, I am drawing from magazines and online photos. Interestingly, I’ve begun to get wrapped up in the clothing and textures and colors of the outfits. Children are a challenge to draw because their proportions are so different from an adult. The average adult is 7 heads tall, and the younger the child is, the less the number is. For example, the youth that I am drawing are about 4-8 years old and are about 4-5 heads tall. I’m exploring using colored pencils and am starting to get the hang of it. I’m allowing my own personal style to emerge over time. I’m beginning to see some stylistic consistency. My future plans include illustrating children’s books. Keep your eye out for me!
Artist Résumé
Objective
To explore the nuances of emotion in the human figure.
Education
University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Masters of Business Administration (MBA) with focus in Marketing & Management, 2010-2012
Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Visual Arts Major 1997-2000, Summa cum laude
The Arts Center, St. Petersburg, weekly open studio life-drawing 1996-2006
Exhibitions
2016 17th Annual RJ Associate & Affiliate Art Show, St. Petersburg, Best in Two-Dimensional
2010 RJ 11th Annual Associate & Affiliate Art Show, St. Petersburg
2006 Art for the Garden, St. Pete Clay Company, St. Petersburg
2006 Alumni of Brian Ransom – An Invitational Exhibition, Elliot Gallery, St. Petersburg
2005 10th Annual Members Holiday Show, St. Pete Clay Company, St. Petersburg
2005 Art for the Garden, St. Pete Clay Company, St. Petersburg
2004 13th Annual All-Florida Juried Exhibition, The Arts Center, St. Petersburg
2004 Components Member’s Exhibition, The Arts Center, St. Petersburg
2004 Forty Years & Coming: Eckerd College Alumni Exhibition, St. Petersburg
2003 Celebrations: 2003 Holiday Exhibition, The Arts Center, St. Petersburg
2003 Holiday Show, St. Pete Clay Company, St. Petersburg
2003 Out of the Elements Members Exhibition, The Arts Center, St. Petersburg
2003 A Body of Work, The Galleries at Salt Creek, St. Petersburg
2002 Members’ Exhibition, The Arts Center, St. Petersburg
2002 A Body of Work, Elliot Gallery, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg
2002 A Body of Work, Published Book by The Arts Center, St. Petersburg
2000 Holiday Show, The Arts Center, St. Petersburg
2000 Divine Lineage, Honors Thesis Exhibition, Elliot Gallery, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg
1999 Holiday Show, The Arts Center, St. Petersburg
1998 Mahaffey Show, Mahaffey Theatre, St. Petersburg
1998 The Doll Show, Mahaffey Theatre, St. Petersburg
Awards, Honors
2016 RJ 17th Annual Associate & Affiliate Art Show, Award of Excellence, St. Petersburg
2010 RJ 11th Annual Associate & Affiliate Art Show, Award of Excellence, St. Petersburg
2004 13th Annual All-Florida Juried Exhibition, John Eckert Memorial Clay Award
1999 Special Talent Scholarship in Visual Arts, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg
1998 Mahaffey Show, Mahaffey Theatre, St. Petersburg, Purchase Award
Skills
Pastel Life Drawing, Colored Pencil Illustration, Oil Painting, Throwing on the Potter’s Wheel, Ceramic Sculpture, Mixed Media Sculpture, & Tapestry Weaving on a Loom