By Brittany Knupper
Rachel Tribble grew up surrounded by art. In fact, one of her formative memories is visiting the Guggenheim to see a . Inspired by this, she painted a giant tribute mural on her kitchen wall—though her mother was less than thrilled.
She loves abstract expressionists like Pollock and Rothko for their brush strokes and color. However, she wondered, “Where are the women?” Eventually, she discovered Louise Nevelson and the ladder paintings of .
Of O’Keeffe, she says: “There was something about the color and dreamlike quality… that touched me and felt tapped into something greater.”
From Performance Art to Advocacy
Initially, Tribble felt “boxed in” by art school. Consequently, she found her freedom in the New York club scene. There, her work evolved into three-dimensional performance art. Her pieces were elaborate, angry, and abstract.
Later, her passion for the environment led her to Native American reservations in Wisconsin. The poverty she witnessed shook her to her core. As a result, she gave up the full-time life of an artist to work in economic development for tribal communities.
Years later, she longed to paint again. She felt she could do more as an advocate for environmental responsibility through her art. Her iconic flowers are deeply inspired by the beautiful beadwork of the Anishinaabe.
Painting as Meditation
Her paintings stem from a desire to find a place of calm. Rachel Tribble art creates a meditative space where viewers realize that we and the earth are one.
Even the process of creating each painting is a form of meditation. She explains: “It’s about finding the natural movement of a piece. Once I find that motion, the piece reveals itself to me.”
Often, she crushes metals like gold and silver into her paint. This technique heightens the colors to match the dreamscape she sees. For example, in her piece DragonFly, a deep green flower glitters with gold, diving into unseen dimensions.
Collaboration with Disney
It was these flowers that led to her biggest collaboration. In 2008, Disney asked her to create a poster for the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival.
Tribble notes: “Disney can create the most amazing experiences… I wanted to learn from them. Walt Disney was an artist after all.”
Her latest showing with them will be for Epcot’s “Festival of the Arts” opening in January 2019. There, her newest works will be shown for the first time.
Ultimately, her mission is to communicate the human connection to Earth. She hopes to provide a moment of calm and realization that peacefulness comes with reconnecting to our planet.
