rachel brace-stille

I have been telling stories my whole life, through photography, typography, and by the combination of words and images.

The works presented here represent a new direction, one which is a radical break from my earlier work. These works use the human body as an intimate abstract medium, allowing the viewer a solid point of contact with familiar ground, but then, through framing, the use of light and shadow, by leaving hints of centering details, I create degrees of freedom for the viewer to make their own interpretations, opening body images into larger contexts and possibilities. It is a new kind of storytelling, with the gradual revealing of the geography of the body charting a journey.

Creating these new pieces has elevated my perception of my own art and my self as an artist. Whereas my work was once primarily about the fundamentals of composition and form, attempting to create a particular response in the viewer, in this new work, my focus is conceptual, on the interaction and experience the viewer has when encountering my pieces.

Now, instead of telling a story, I’m leaving the viewers room to find their own stories, using my work as the point of departure.