Meet Rachel Alderton Rippes | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Alderton Rippes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
Understanding others makes me really happy and inspired. I find endless joy in watching, talking to, and getting to know other people on any level. Whether it’s a family member, friend, or stranger, there is always a different perspective to hear, learn from, and dissect. I also find that when talking to others, we all have a lot more similarities than we do differences. These interactions with other people often motivate my artistic practice. Not only does creating art make me happy, but I find joy in the entire process, from inspiration, to creation.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The first semester of freshman year during my undergraduate studies I stumbled into a printmaking course that altered my life completely. I instantly fell in love with the entire process of printmaking. The way I could manipulate surfaces to create such rich textures and images astonished me. During the first semester we were given a prompt to create a series about something that brought us joy. I chose my grandpa’s wrinkles. Everything has sort of come full circle since then. Of course, I have had some challenges along the way. Luckily, I had a lot of support from my friends and professors which led to me reworking my relationship with art and finding a process that works really well for me. I continued on to get a BS in Psychology with a dual major in Art, and my MFA in printmaking from the University of Miami.
My background in psychology and fascination with the process of aging motivates the research and creation of my current personal art practice. This practice has consisted mostly of my everlasting love for the elders I am surrounded by and my intrigue of aging itself. Over the past few years, I have been conducting research through the form of in person interviews with a variety of people regarding the relationship between how one’s personal experience and current age has influenced them to think about and respond to their own aging and longevity. Through this research, I dissect different dialogue, body language, and trains of thought to stimulate my own personal response to this experience.
As a printmaker, I enjoy using a variety of mediums. I originally fell in love with stone lithography and copper etchings, but in recent years I have been focusing on different mediums, such as monoprinting with silkscreens and plexiglass, as well as book arts. For each collection of my research I create an expressive portrait, a nonrepresentational print, and a book based on a single interview. I use my exploration with colors, textures, and marks to evoke and represent different emotions, moments and thoughts within the collection.
Each one of these series explores a partition of the ‘human condition’, predominantly including the physical, emotional, and aspirational attributes of a person. Through the process of building this work I am pursuing not only the conversation and personal connection the interview process brings, but also an insight into a person’s inner incentives and emotional response to aging throughout their lifetime. Overall, my relationship with my work revolves around how I respond to my environment and the people I have personal connections and experiences with throughout life.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are so many special places around, it is a hard to choose just a few. However, I find a good walk through the streets of Wynwood to be a very fun activity. Not only are there a lot of good restaurants, bars, and local gems, but the art across all the walls is a really unique feature that not many other cities have. I also really love Miracle Mile in Coral Gables. There is so much to do, whether its finding something to read in Books & Books or getting a sushi roll at Hillstone, the options are endless!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am a firm believer that everyone I have crossed paths with has had a hand in where I am today, and for that I am very grateful. I have had endless support from my husband, my parents, my family, and my friends. I am thankful for them all every day. I have also had the opportunity to learn from and grow under some really wonderful professors and mentors. In particular, Joel Elgin, Susan Timm, Lise Drost, and Lani Shapton. I would not be the person or artist I am today without them all.

Website: https://www.rachelalderton.com/

Instagram: rachelaldertonrippes_art