ABOUT RACHAEL SCHAFER: ARTIST, CREATOR, TRAVELER
I’m an artist+illustrator born and raised in Tennessee enjoying life in San Francisco, Ca and wherever my travels take me...near or far.
Just to be clear, I include walks in my neighborhood and sounds, stories and smells as travels too.
The wild tangle of nature I was surrounded by while growing up in Tennessee is not so dissimilar to the wild nature found in San Francisco, and I enjoy comparing the similarities and searching for the joy in the differences.
Nature and travels are an ever present source of inspiration and I reference the forests, towns, homes and cities I visit and now live in and those I grew up among in my work. My early interest in all things visual and human relational led me to study design and fine art, and eventually to move to San Francisco and work in both digital and print illustration, art and design.
I enjoy examining and exploring the space between first person experience and folk tale, the ideas and attachments of home, and notions of nostalgia. I am interested in how it is often difficult to tell the difference between actual history and verbally passed down mythologies. Stories that I hear so often often can become so real as if I had lived them, and lived experiences can become tales told so often that these take on a myth like quality of their own too.
I love exploring various clay bodies (a new thing for me that I am enjoying and frustrating over),watercolor painting, doing my own versions of patterns found in nature, people watching and walking around with a camera taking vignette photos of anything that catches my fancy.
I love color but I also fear color, it is so easy to get it wrong! I hope to get it more right than wrong though.
I have extensive experience working both in house on branding and design and working contractually and a whole lot of freelance. Currently, I do not want to do any of those things though. Instead, I would like to work on a project basis doing collaborative long term [say 6 months minimum] projects that create beautiful and inclusive sustainable and usable spaces that encourage people to interact and experience being included as part of a community. I’d love to work with you and your team to create spirit reviving, creation inspiring, fear-free spaces that encourage collaboration, community and creativity.
I also license my illustration, artworks, prints & patterns or sell them outright on occasion.
If you have a project in mind I’d love to hear from you: hi @ rachaelschafer {dot} com.
CLIENTS
Target, Pottery Barn Kids, Design House Greetings, Madison Park Greetings, Artists to Watch Greetings, Camelbak, Mpix, SF Mercantile, Cost Plus World Market, 826 Valencia, 18 Rabbits Granola Bars, Writer Lyz Lenz, funnyordie.com, therumpus.net, Litquake, modwalls.com
lET’S WORK TOGETHER
If you have an idea for a project, collaboration or commission, email me hi @ rachaelschafer {dot} com.