About

My painting practice engages with questions of pictorial language through the observation of quiet spaces in my personal life. I emphasize the quietude of domestic spaces through the arrangement of objects, figures, and carful compositional decisions, focusing specifically on color harmonies and compositional equilibrium to create a sense of visual calm as I engage with my surroundings. Still life specifically as a subject matter is, for me, a way to live inside moments of peace as a refuge from today’s complex and busy world. I use objects and figures positioned in a planned way as a stand in for reoccurring emotions of separation, belonging, and connection to my cultural roots. I also use objects as a way to design a well balanced image that reflects a warm presence to counter the cold feelings in today’s society. Still life is the core of my paintings, because for me is a way to facilitate comfort and connection, through objects that are infused with reoccurring emotions which I resolve through my paintings. My work focus mainly on mark making through intentional tactile imprints my brushes make in the paints, while carefully carving out my images through paint. I use oil paint on linen to reference the long lineage of painting in art history and it’s continued conversation into contemporary painting.Through my work, I attempt to capture my observational experience in my new surroundings and fuse them with my past environments, creating a sense of calm and peace within my paintings while engaging with viewers in a contemporary way.



Rachel Hertz is a contemporary still life painter based in London. Working primarily with oil paint, her work combines observation with intuitive compositional set ups to give a sense of peace and a feeling of warmth to counter the busy and hectic world of today. Inspired by domestic life, Rachel uses fruits, flowers, and objects as the centre of her work as she carves out specific spiritual moments that portray a sense of calm compassion interplaying with her interest in colour and light.


Rachel received a Certificate of Painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, a BFA from the University of Pennsylvania, and a MA from City & Guilds London Art School. She has also received technical training from the Jerusalem Studio School and has participated in group shows in the US, Italy, and most recently in the UK. She is at present creating a new body of work that continues to explore more deeply the intricacies of the geometry in form, and texture, and their roles in her compositions. Rachel is a native New York American who has spent countless years studying painting in several countries, and her work is included in private collections in the US and UK.