POST 4 MESSAGE/MISSION - Rachel Birtwistle

        My name is Rachel Birtwistle and I make art that reflects my morals, values, and experiences. While creating pieces for clients, I often take their descriptions and turn them into art. Many of my pieces contain different and complex meanings while having a visually ambiguous style that allows the viewer to interpret my art in any way that seems fit for them. I enjoy making pieces many people can relate to in their own unique way, which is why I often do not display what a piece means to me as to not corrupt any connections a person, that does not relate to me, has with a particular piece. When making art, I do not usually have a particular subject I am aiming to convey, but I have noticed I have a pattern of making art that is representative of environmental issues as well as the conservation of the animals that live in said environment. It’s important to me to convey topics such as these in my work, because it reflects my morals and values. I think humans need to take responsibility for what we have done to the planet and I think we need to respect animals that inhabit this planet a lot more. When viewing my art, I want my audience to feel curious. I want the art to consume them and allow them to contemplate what the message is, why it is important, and how they feel about the piece. I imagine my work will be glanced at, stared at, contemplated about, walked by, and cherished. I have no expectations for how people will receive my art, because everyone is different, some people will like it and some people won’t and that is okay. The accomplishments my work makes is allowing viewers to think of the topics I represent in a new perspective, it brings awareness to the subjects I deem important, and it allows the audience to relate to the piece in any way they can.

This is one of the first graphic design pieces I made in 2022. I wanted to create something that was impactful as well as provided information about ways people can help the environment. This piece has a clear message and does not allow for the unique interpretations of the viewers. The digital piece sparked my interest in making art on this topic and allowed me to experiment more with how I wanted to portray this topic. 

This is the third piece I made that references the environment. It allows the viewer to have their own interpretation of the piece, because of how ambiguous it looks. The piece functions as a vessel to hold dried flower petals and is symbolic of the death of nature. The color red hints to the viewer that it is communicating something alarming and needing attention. The vessel is modeled after a 19th century punch bowl mainly used by royal people. This is representative of how high status the issue being addressed is. The imagery of flowers etched into the piece gives more insight into what the message is without giving it away. 

This is the first piece I made that represents dysfunctional families. It has a more obvious message, because of the visuals it uses. The piece shows how an unbalanced relationship with the parents can lead to confusion on the child’s part and cause them to demonize one parent while uplifting the other one. This piece can be interpreted differently depending on the viewer, because it can symbolize different kinds of “dysfunctions” within their unique family dynamic. 

This is the second piece I made that represents family dynamics and their dysfunctions. It represents the chaos and loneliness one may feel in an unhealthy household. Each chair represents a member of the family and their personalities, because of the family dynamics. This piece can mean different things for different people, because it does not have a clear message. It allows a viewer to interpret the piece in whatever way they relate. 

This piece is symbolic of the human experience. It embodies the act of seeing and not doing. People see other people suffer everyday, but never do anything about it until it’s too late. They cry over what could have been done, but just watch or ignore people in need. Its message is not oblivious and allows people to contemplate their own meaning of the piece that will speak to them. 

This is the second piece I made that represents the environment. It functions as both a bird bath and feeder, using the anatomical heart and lungs as a symbol of humans' connection to the environment. The piece serves as a reminder that humans serve a purpose to take care of the living things around them that cannot always care for themselves, because of our negligence. The form is vague enough that it can be articulated in many different ways varying in the viewer, but in context it serves one purpose and offers a greater message.