RACHEL MUMERT - PROFESSIONAL ARTIST
In my art I personify human emotion and spiritual encounters so people can find hope and be reminded they are not alone.
Hey there! My name is Rachel and I’m an artist in Medicine Hat, Alberta. I create colourful abstract paintings that personify human emotion and spiritual encounters to bring hope and healing to a world filled with darkness and pain.
For the first 9 years of my adult life I trained and worked as a pilot. I loved flying. It was full of amazing views and exciting challenges, but the time came for a change. I decided it was time to pursue my passion for painting…and there is nothing I find more thrilling to paint than people.
I’ve always found inspiration in the people in my life, individuals and relationships alike. I started sketching the human body when I was very young. I used to think it was because I loved the challenge and beauty of the human form, but I realized that I was drawn to drawing the people in my life because of the love I have for them. We are so much more than our physical form. This is why I live for exploring the complexity of our identity expressed through emotions and interaction. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I believe we were created to be intricate and beautiful in ways we will never fully comprehend. This beauty, however, can be difficult to see.
Everywhere you look the world is filled with pain, struggle, fear and all manner of darkness…but the story doesn’t end there. Despite the darkness there is beauty, love and joy all around us. However, so often we get caught up in the stress of our struggles that we lose the strength it takes to seek this elusive light. And that is why I paint.
I don’t always have the strength to pull myself out of fear in order to keep climbing the mountains life puts in front of me. There are days when I feel so stuck I struggle to even get out of bed in the morning…and I know I’m not the only one. But when I paint, the colour and freedom I experience in the process shifts the atmosphere around me. Fear loses its hold on me and I feel an immense joy that begins to carry me through all my difficulties…in short, it brings me hope. And it is this hope that I desire to share with others through my art.
It’s a common saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” This is something I know to be true. Art has a way of bypassing the limited reach of words in order to speak straight to the soul. When a person is in pain it’s often difficult to find the right words to bring them comfort. The right picture though, can speak volumes, uplift their spirit and bring strength and healing without saying a single word.
This is the role I choose to play: to create art that can reach the lost and weary when nothing else can. With the use of acrylics, gold paint, a canvas, and my favorite brushes I endeavor to bring more light, beauty, and colour to a dark and dreary world. Because no matter who you are or what you’re going through we all need hope, and we all need healing.