Meet Rachel Wilson | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Wilson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, we’d love to hear more about your end-goal, professionally.
As an artist, I don’t necessarily see an end to my career, but I love dreaming about a future where I am financially stable and support my family with my career as an artist. The absolute dream would be to have an assistant who does all of the administration and marketing work for me so I can just focus on creating.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started my career with commissions from paintings to drawings to graphic design projects.  For the longest time I thought of myself strictly as a Fine Artist, using only traditional drawing and painting methods. Through influence and growth over time, I have become a mixed media artist. I now have a huge and ever-growing collection of dried flowers from my garden that I use in my art any way I can; one of the most rewarding being a series of old birdhouses I have been slowly changing into 3D art as dreamscapes. I use dried hydrangea petals as roof shingles after experimenting with a variety of sealants to make them more durable. When I paint, I tend to layer colored pencil and maybe pastel instead of sticking with just oil/acrylic/watercolor paints. It’s been a journey but I’ve never had more fun with my art and find it easier to achieve my goals with the pieces I make.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m all about places that have craft beer and unique experiences! I love that you can do a weekend tour of craft beer breweries in Dallas such as Community Beer Co, Deep Ellum Brewery, Peticolas and the list goes on! We could have a more quiet night at Strangeways or go to Truck Yard for food, beer and fun. Of course going to the DMA and Perot Museum are a must, while spending some time in between at Klyde Warren Park which offers food trucks, events, somewhere nice to just sit, and people watching. I live in between Denton and Dallas and if we were to have a day in Denton I’d recommend East Side Denton, Harvest House, and Oak St. Drafthouse and Cocktail Parlor which all provide drinks, very different atmospheres and amazing outdoor seating. Walking around the Denton Square is an adventure in itself with each and every shop being unique.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Most recently my husband Dustin and my daughter Maeve (4) are my biggest supporters; although I’d say Dustin is very supportive of everything I do while Maeve makes me strive to support. Tracy, the godmother to my child and who just delivered my godson, keeps me in check and tethered to earth and has been to, set up, and helped me at every single one of my shows and events. In high school, my AP Art teacher Ted Kincaid (Plano West SR High) not only pushed my skill set but made me laugh every day. As I was getting my BFA in Illustration/Communication Arts at the Savannah College of Art and Design I was drawn to Professor Meghan Berkheiser who’s creativity, personality and advice I still think about today.

Website: floraandcosmos.com

Instagram: flora.and.cosmos

Facebook: facebook.com/floraandcosmos