Rachel Kantner

I create my art in my home studio located in Lancaster PA. During my home studio hours, you’ll find me painting on big canvas or small pieces of cold press. I start out by applying a wash of drips. From there I follow my original sketch with more paint, markers, ink, colored pencil, and sometimes even paper collage. To finish my art I make sure the lights and darks are intense, and I use white acrylic paint for the highlights.I also study at Lancaster Creative Factory for continued education in ceramics. I tend to create batches of clay things, and work on them all simultaneously. To start I roll out my slabs and create the bases of the pieces. Once assembled I’m under a time crunch to do things like slip trailing and applying additional bodies of clay. From there, it’s a more relaxed and enjoyable process of carving. After the bisque firing I apply matt black underglaze, wax, and various glossy glazes. I make sure the different finishes play off of each other to create a dramatic and rustic finished piece.In 2002-2003 I studied graphic design at Bradley Academy for the Visual Arts in York, PA, which was turned into an Art Institute later. In my 20’s, I concentrated on fibers, and my fiber work has been featured in Intertwined by Lexi Boeger, Knit 1 for the Road by Margaret Nock, and Knit One Embellish Too by Cosette Cornelius-Bates. My artistic journey has almost always involved fibers. Over the years I’ve been developing my illustration skills, painting, and most recently, ceramics. Regardless of the medium, I love experimenting with texture and color. I’m fascinated by glowing paints and glimmering threads. Nothing brings me more joy than designing an image that “pops”. My goal is to communicate mysterious moments through my art. I often pull from my own experiences that I get fixated on, and embellish with fictional plotlines. For instance, my son and I fell in love with a kitten named Roger who was up for adoption. Roger was born outside and thus was susceptible to eye infection. He had to have his left eye removed as a newborn kitten. We adopted him and I’ve been painting one eyed cats, and creating cyclops creatures of all kinds ever since.I create lists of creatures I find in museums, abandoned junk, favorite moments, and unusual dreams. I mix those things with symbols and imagery from other parts of my brain. There’s a constant need burning inside of me to develop the best methods of communicating my otherworldly thoughts. I am in the midst of a 100 day project of “creative knowledge” where every day I document a new technique that I can implement.