My work is driven by a fascination with fleeting moments observed in everyday life. Painting from direct observation allows me to immerse myself in the visual world, where, over time, the ordinary reveals itself as electrifying. Primarily working in oils, I also use watercolor, especially when traveling or capturing the immediacy of a moment. Whether painting the human body, a still life setup, or a scene en plein air, I find myself in awe of the smallest visual moments: the unspoken conversation of two adjacent colors or the mystery of the movement of water.
Many of the artists who inspire me transform the mundane into something extraordinary through their keen observation. I love the way Janet Fish’s Mason jars and plastic-wrapped tomatoes sparkle like stained glass, the way Rackstraw Downes reveals the panoramic beauty of a puddle beneath a highway, and the way Rachel Ruysch’s softly rendered tulips and sharp little insects invite us into her sustained focus. I also admire Virginia Woolf’s ability to imbue meaning into the smallest moments—like the sounding of church bells or the selection of flowers. These works remind me that larger themes of temporality and individual experience can be found in the materiality of everyday life. This is what I strive to capture in my paintings. I like to imagine that simply living and being sensitive to my environment offers an abundance of inspiration.
Rachel Van Wylen is a painter and printmaker based in Haverford, PA. She seeks to uncover the extraordinary within the everyday, translating the richness of observed reality into compelling visual narratives. Her work has garnered numerous accolades, including first place in the Loeschner Competition at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park (Grand Rapids, MI) and third place in the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts Annual Juried Exhibition. Rachel has also completed several notable mural commissions, including a portrait of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for their campaign headquarters in Wilmington, DE. Additionally, she has participated in artist residencies through The New York Art Students League, Arte Studio Ginestrelle, and Arts, Letters and Numbers.
Her work has been exhibited in a variety of venues, including Manifest Gallery (Cincinnati, OH), The Elizabeth V. Sullivan Gallery at the Vytlacil Campus of the New York Art Students League (Sparkill, NY), the Muskegon Museum of Art (Muskegon, MI), the Mystic Museum of Art (Mystic, CT), Art Gallery Le Logge (Assisi, Italy), the Scarab Club (Detroit, MI), Dacia Gallery (New York, NY), The Philadelphia Sketch Club (Philadelphia, PA), Mainline Art Center (Haverford, PA), and the Wayne Art Center (Wayne, PA).
Rachel holds a B.A. in Art and English from Gordon College (2007), where she also participated in a study abroad program in Orvieto, Italy. She earned her M.F.A. in Painting from The New York Academy of Art in 2009. Over the years, she has shared her passion for art through teaching at institutions such as Boston Trinity Academy, Spring Arbor University, The White Mountain School, and Archmere Academy. She is currently a member of the faculty at The Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, PA.
2009
New York Academy of Art, New York, New York
Painting, MFA
2007
Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts
Art and English, BA
2020
Third Place in the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts Annual Exhibition at the Mystic Museum of Art
2015
Winner of the Ray and Nancy Loeschner Art Competition at Frederik Meijer Gardens
2013
Ruth Katzman Scholarship for Artist’s Residency at the Vytlacil Campus of the New York Art Students League
2023-present
Art Teacher at The Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr, PA
2021-2023
Art Teacher at Archmere Academy, Claymont, DE
2016-2021
Chair of the Fine Arts at The White Mountain School, Bethlehem, NH
2012-2015
Assistant Professor of Art at Spring Arbor University, Spring Arbor, MI
2010-2012
Art Teacher at Boston Trinity Academy, Boston, MA
Portrait of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Biden-Harris Campaign, Interior of Campaign Headquarters, Wilmington, DE
The Japanese Garden, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, MI
Away from the Chill, Massasoit Community College, Donated through The Art Connection, Canton, MA