“American One”
The courage present in the American flag binds the buildings, silver beams, subways, and commuters of New York City as they participate in everyday acts of courage. The red, orange, yellow, white, blue, and silver hues in this painting invokes the connection of the city’s citizens after September 2011. In memory of those who passed on and those who remained behind, this work aims to echo courage in the days and nights after that deep silence.
“Sky-Vine”
The work “Sky-Vine” alludes to the Jewish tradition of trees as sentient beings. Through the juxtaposition of colors and textures, the work reflects how the destruction of fruit-bearing trees equates with the destruction of life. The contrast between dark and light hues and the rough and smooth textures represent the tension between destructive action and the soul’s appreciation for life. The verse inscribed in the work conveys how creation is a result of labor and is therefore both precious and good.
“Water Dance Reflection”
In “Water Dance Reflection” the synergy of water surrounds the Psalmist verse as its message connects water fractals with green treetops. This Mixed Media combines the verse from Psalms with a photograph of a large-scale canvas painting together with a photograph of treetops in northern New Jersey. This work articulates the life of water on multiple mediums and juxtaposes what the psalmist identifies as water’s essential role in nature. Here, the verse becomes an expanse in the midst of water. The hues of the water, the same hues I observed near the shores of Tel Aviv, reach the tall treetops common to New Jersey, and fragment into colors characteristic of water shimmering in the sun.
While growing up on the coast in Tel Aviv, Israel, Rachel May gazed at the Mediterranean Sea from her parent’s balcony and saw colors change in the air and the water. The Mediterranean sun played with the wave crests and when landing on and retreating from the shore. The unfolding changes of color and texture appear frequently in Rachel May’s mixed media and large-scale paintings.
Rachel May received a B.Ed.F.A. in Art and Art Education from the Teachers College of Art in Israel where her work was influenced by artists such as Osvaldo Romberg, Rafi Lavi and Yair Garbuz.
Rachel May exhibits her work in NY and NJ, including the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum, Mills Pond House Gallery, Smithtown Township Arts Council, Bergen County Y, Kaplen Jewish Community Center on the Palisades, Van Der Plas Gallery, Ceres Gallery, Westside Presbyterian Church, and Beit Leiberman Museum. Her “I Love Manhattan” multi-canvas painting received the Award of Merit from Manhattan Arts International.
Rachel May’s work articulates the inevitable tensions enclosed in natural frameworks and expresses renewal through a dance of color, texture, and movement.