Inspired Hope - The Artistic Expressions of Rachel L.M. Harnish

In gathering inspiration from my own personal experiences as well as those around me, I have been able to infuse the pieces of work that I create with a strong emotional component. These pieces become charged with emotion through the explicit and implicit portrayal of negative emotions. In order to do this, I take negative energy and use it as the inspiration for my work, which attempts to show how negative thoughts and actions affect us as humans. This is depicted through the use of color, line and form, which develop the atmosphere of these emotions and convey them to the viewer. In addition to showing the negative aspects of life, I always have a glimmer of hope incorporated into my works as well. I hope to reach one person at a time, and open their eyes to the fact that the world needs more positive energy overall.

In all of my works, I pay attention to line, space, light, color, texture, and the other studied elements of design of the composition. While using these techniques, (especially line, texture & color) I am able to convey the message of negative energy and hope that is consistent in my work. I predominantly work with ceramics due to the freedom and flexibility that clay provides, but I do not let the choice of medium affect the expression of my message and have developed pieces in several different media. These include but are not limited to: ceramics (pottery and handbuilding), photography and painting.

In completing a B.F.A. at Oswego, I am taking the first step in pursuing one of my career goals of obtaining a M.F.A. and instructing at the university level. Furthermore, I hope to inspire many young people in the classroom as I teach them the skills that they will need in order to express their individual message.

-Rachel Harnish

Artist Statement