Rachel Brask, artist with North Attleboro roots, exhibits paintings expressing grief through rain’s beauty at Preservation Framer
In her solo show, “My Fathers’ Skies Cried,” Rachel Brask displays her paintings of rainy skyscapes that express the complexity of grief of mourning the loss of two fathers in the same year. Ms. Brask is a Rhode Island artist whose early childhood was spent in North Attleboro. She has exhibited regionally, as well as internationally in Italy and the UK. This new series of oil paintings, created in 2022, will be on exhibit at the Preservation Framer Gallery from March 1 to 30, 2023, with a free and open-to-the public art reception on Saturday, March 18, 2023, 6pm-8pm. Preservation Framer is located at 31 N. Washington St, North Attleboro, MA.
Ms. Brask lost her father, Keith Brask, an Attleboro native, to cancer in 2020, and a few months later she lost her father-in-law while still processing the initial grief of losing her father. After giving up artmaking for almost two years, Ms. Brask returned to painting with the creation of this evocative series. This collection was made in their honor and memory, and it highlights the diverse range of emotions felt during mourning. These paintings express the narrative of places and impressions from her perspective during milestones along each of her fathers’ parallel end days.
Matt Slobogan, owner and curator of Preservation Framer, says of the series, “Rachel’s torrential downpour expressions depict grief and struggle yet transcend the darker side of human experience to the lighter.”
“These paintings are for anyone feeling, healing, or dealing with grief, recent or otherwise,“ notes Ms. Brask. “We’re expected to ‘bounce back’ immediately from grief in today’s culture, but that’s not the case for many. Grief is a journey that nobody wants to find themselves on. I aim to paint the light and hope I see along the way – to create a calm and contemplative space for people, to take a moment to breathe.”
The art exhibition will be on display at Preservation Framer’s Churchwood Gallery at 31 N. Washington Street North Attleboro, MA. The public can visit during the gallery’s regular hours of Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, as well as the public reception on Saturday, March 18th, from 6pm-8pm. Those not able to attend the reception can contact Rachel Brask to schedule a meeting at the gallery for a personal artist tour or to ask questions about the paintings. Contact via rachel@rachelbraskstudio.com or 401-400-0418.
ABOUT RACHEL BRASK, VISUAL ARTIST www.rachelbraskart.com
Rachel Brask is a contemporary abstract/impressionist painter with her earliest roots in North Attleboro. Brask's reimagined oil landscapes express the abstracted calm, chaos and contemplation of rainy days. Through these paintings, Brask seeks to show people a fresh, hopeful perspective on rainy days. She has exhibited in solo exhibitions, invitational and juried shows around New England and in private collections in the UK and Italy. She has developed her work at artist residencies in Maine, North Carolina, and Cape Cod. She’s received several awards and distinctions. Rachel earned a B.A. in art from Houghton College. Brask enjoys working on painting commissions, and sharing her love of art through teaching classes, workshops, and private art lessons. Rachel Brask Studio is located in East Providence, RI. Connect via instagram.com/rbraskstudio, facebook.com/rachelbraskstudio, or website at rachelbraskart.com