Rachel Phillips: Home from the Field
Exhibition on View: March 23rd- April 24th, 2021
Virtual Walkthrough and Conversation: Wednesday, April 7th, 7:00 PM CT
Catherine Couturier Gallery is delighted to present Home from the Field, an exhibition of new work by gallery artist Rachel Phillips.
The exhibition features more than 15 unique pieces by Rachel Phillips made in the past year. Working with a process that she first debuted at Catherine Couturier Gallery in 2013 in her solo show entitled Field Notes, Phillips uses antique envelopes, some dating from the 1800’s, and transfers her photographs onto them. Working across time and place, these pieces reference the cyclical nature of the seasons and offer a sense of hope and wonder.
Rachel Phillips is a California based fine art photographer who is best known for her series of projects exploring the photograph as object. Phillips began photography while completing her undergraduate degree at Skidmore College, graduating in 2005. Her work has been published in Harper’s Magazine (2018), Miami New Times (2016), and Lenscratch (2013). Her work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions including the traveling exhibition A Yellow Rose Project (2020-2021), Suffrage Now at the Elisabet Ney Museum (2020), and Diffusion Annual at Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins (2015).
Due to the pandemic, there will be no public reception, and private viewings must be booked in advance. A virtual walkthrough and conversation with the artist will be held on Wednesday, April 7th at 7:00 PM CT. To register, click here.
Yonder Burgenland, 2021
Pigment transfer to antique envelope
Unique
4 x 6 inches
SOLD
Contact us with any special inquiries.
Argyll Hotel, 2021
Pigment transfer to antique envelope (1918)
Unique
4 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches
$750
Blue Bells and Marigold, 2021
Pigment transfer to antique envelope (1800s)
Unique
6 3/4 x 5 1/2 inches
$1,200
Canal House, 2021
Pigment transfer to antique envelope
Unique
6 x 7 1/2 inches
SOLD
Contact us with any special inquiries.
Correspondance House, 2021
Pigment transfer to antique postcard
Unique
5 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches
$750
Electric Lights, 2021
Pigment transfer to antique envelope (1932) with original tissue liner
Unique
5 3/4 x 7 inches
SOLD
Contact us with any special inquiries.
Garden Dream, 2021
Pigment transfer to antique envelope (19th century)
Unique
5 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches
$750
Garden Mystery, 2021
Pigment transfer to antique envelope (19th century)
Unique
6 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches
$1,200
Harlem Bound, 2020
Pigment transfer to antique 1920 envelope
Unique
4 x 6 inches
$750
Ivy in the Attic, 2021
Pigment transfer to antique 1932 envelope with original tissue liner
Unique
5 1/4 x 6 3/4 inches
$850
Lux Deer, 2021
Pigment transfer to antique 1800s envelope and 1920s postcard
Unique
6 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches
$1,200
Minty Melody, 2021
Pigment transfer to antique 1889 envelope with original tissue liner
Unique
4 1/2 x 4 3/4 inches
$850
Owl Friendship, 2021
Pigment transfer to antique 1950 envelopes
Unique
6 1/2 x 7 1/4 inches
$1,200
Squirrel Rorschach, 2021
Pigment transfer to antique 1920s postcard
Unique
6 3/4 x 5 1/2 inches
$1,200
Wild Strawberries, 2021
Pigment transfer to antique 1920s envelope
Unique
4 x 4 inches
SOLD
Contact us with any special inquiries.
Yonder in Blue, 2021
Pigment transfer to antique 1913 envelope
Unique
4 1/2 x 6 3/4 inches
SOLD
Contact us with any special inquiries.
Artist Statement
In 2013 I was honored and excited to have my first solo show at Catherine’s Gallery—it was entitled “Field Notes” and included a variety of unique pieces I made transfer printing my photographs onto original antique envelopes.
Over the years I have continued making work with these materials and transfer technique, and the gallery and I presented a small selection of new pieces for the online Safe in the Studio program during the pandemic in 2020.
Given this history, there is a feeling of homecoming, indeed, in presenting this exhibition of transfer prints “Home from the Field.” I hope this show will particularly fit these weeks in the spring of 2021 as we emerge slowly from the pandemic, and from the shelter of our homes, to step into a world also transitioning in season toward longer days.
There are obvious through lines between this work and my first show, and returning to this imagery and process has been comforting and resonant as I’ve worked to make these pieces in my San Francisco Bay Area studio the last few months. Yet there are changes, too. In particular, seeking new imagery yet unable to wander far from home, I began to photograph in my garden, especially setting up scrims and backdrops to capture the shadows and silhouettes of the plants and even cement garden statuary of squirrels and deer in my yard! Looking at these finished pieces and recognizing the leaves and stems of particular plants—the rose, the wild strawberry, the manzanita, the parsley that had gone to seed last fall—brings me a sense of place, time and season that has been a balm during this past year.
The way I used the materials in this work has also changed slightly, in particular incorporating more yellow envelopes from the 1800’s, postcards from the 1920’s and seeking out envelopes, rare and oh so hard to find, with beautiful tissue liners that I can fold up like an ornate roof. I’ve also begun to occasionally add some charcoal and white pencil accents to finished pieces. Learning, studying and using these materials—many of which I’ve had for years waiting for just the right inspiration of image and timing—is like a conversation with old papery friends. I’m so glad to extend that conversation to you.
Unlike previous exhibitions, there will be no public reception, and private viewings must be booked in advance. Please email us at gallery@catherinecouturier.com to reserve a time to visit the exhibition.