Raquel Erin Harter (b. Sacramento, CA) paints to address the fickle nature of memories by resurfacing her own experiences and emotions through explorative portraiture. Her work investigates memory as a landscape of love, temporality, and fabulation.  Her paintings address the absence of emotional connection that surfaces in the presence of mental illness and familial trauma. Simultaneously this process honors her childhood experiences by cementing them in tangible pieces of rediscovery. From fear and grief to intense connections, memory paves the way for Raquel to explore human connection in all of its nuances. 

Colors play a significant role in her paintings due to the emotional reactions they evoke. Vivid hues emphasize the presence of good despite the charged gravity the subject matters carry. Her palette illuminates the capacity for the vibrance one can feel when truly grounded in the present moment, a sensation lost when grappling with mental illness. Looser gestural strokes and translucent drips combine with more tightly rendered portraiture to allude to the confusing inconsistencies entangled in the concept of memorial recollection.

Education

2023-2027 (forthcoming)
University of California, San Diego

Bachelors in Studio Arts with Honors
Bachelors in Art History
Minor in Entrepreneurship & Innovation

CV available upon request.