About

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am a contradiction to myself. People see me as an outspoken person, but I don’t talk deeply enough about myself and on how I really feel about things that matter to me and that affect me. I tend to deflect and avoid talking about myself in any way that goes deeper than surface level. My work surrounds these subjects whether it is something I personally struggle with, something that has negatively affected me in some way, or some facet of my identity that I am uncomfortable with showing, and in this way, my work becomes my outlet. I still find it difficult to talk about my struggles and experiences, but my work communicates where words fail me.
I don’t like showing vulnerability, but the process of making work vulnerable can be ok. I present these issues of vulnerability mostly through paintings and linocut relief prints using the female figure as my main focus. Using the female figure not only represents that I am a woman, but I render and represent these female figures in a way that is fragmented or vulnerable in some way, to compensate for my lack of vulnerability and guarded nature in front of people. I also work abstractly using pattern and repetition of shape and line to highlight the struggles and experiences I make work about, which tend to tie into societal struggles as well. I work abstractly because it allows me to be more expressive but it also goes back to me not wanting to be vulnerable, as it is a more surface level representation and conversation of my struggles and my identity.

BIO

Rachel Leah Trimble is a contemporary artist working in Des Moines, Iowa. She graduated with her BA in Studio Arts and a Theatre Arts Minor at Grand View University, and most recently she has shown work in the Des Moines Arts Festival as one of the 2019 Emerging Iowa Artists, in her senior exhibition; "An Uncomfortable Conversation", Grand View’s Juried Student Art Competition, and received 1st place in Galena’s Chalk-Fest competition. Trimble continues her work while involving herself in various theatre productions. Her passion for the arts has moved into theatre production, and recently started in the new position of Production Manager at DMACC Ankeny Theatre.