RACHEL RIXEN

(American, b. 1991)

Watercolor artist based in Chicago. 

I am a watercolor artist and urban sketcher living and working in Chicago. My art is primarily inspired by my travels and I seek to recreate the feeling and memory of the places where I’ve been. I’m particularly inspired by the quiet and sometimes banal moments of everyday life.

I have always been an artist. As a child in suburban Minnesota, I was fascinated with drawing and music. I was the kid whose drawings were so good that all other kids rallied around to admire them when we had art time in elementary school, and I was also convinced I would grow up to be a professional pianist. I didn’t end up pursuing either when it came time to choose a career path because I didn’t feel like I was good enough or that it was the “practical” thing to do. Instead, I found a love for languages and culture and graduated from Augsburg University in Minneapolis with a Bachelor of Arts in French and Cross-Cultural Studies, with a minor in international relations (I have a true liberal arts spirit). During my studies, I lived in Paris and fine-tuned my love of travel and language, which left an indelible mark on me as a person and an artist.

2011 was a pivotal year for my art, when I signed up for a plein air sketching course in Tuscany and Umbria, led by the watercolor artist and art professor Tara Sweeney. Under her direction, I discovered a love for watercolor painting, which lit a newfound spark within me for artmaking as an adult. From then on, I have carried a sketchbook on all of my travels.

I went on to receive my Master of Arts in Cultural Translation from the American University of Paris and subsequently fell into a career in immigration law by pure happenstance. In 2014, I launched my art business, Lakes and Lights Art, named after Minneapolis (the City of Lakes, my hometown) and Paris (the City of Light), the two cities where I had spent the most time in my life. My art existed solely as a creative outlet and was relegated to my spare time. By August 2023, I realized I was in the wrong career and I could no longer ignore the fact that art was my true passion. I decided to end my law career and pursue art full-time. I’m looking forward to the artistic road ahead.

In summer 2024, I will be an artist-in-residence at La Maison de Beaumont in the Provençal village of Beaumont-de-Pertuis, France. Follow along on my Instagram and Tiktok.