Welcome to our Gators Eye artist feature! Each week, we highlight a different student artist and their unique and beautiful work. This week, our artist is freshman Rachel Morse.

Rachel was born and raised in the Triangle, but she still loves to explore the world around her. She enjoys going on exotic excursions and spending time with friends and family. She has plenty of hobbies and interests outside of art, too. “I enjoy everything from tubing, camping, and golfing to shopping, relaxing, and baking,” Rachel says.

Rachel only got into art this semester–before that, she had only taken art classes as ‘specials’ in elementary school. Although she essentially started from nothing when the semester began, Rachel has progressed with incredible speed. She says that she hasn’t just improved as an artist, but also as a person. Trust, experimentation, patience, and passion are just a few of the lessons Rachel has learned this semester. “I would say the significance of passion with whatever I am doing impacted the outcome the most,” she says. “No matter what prompt or idea I was given as an assignment, creating a piece with some sort of intention and underlying meaning that connected with me allowed me to make a piece I was proud of and wanted to work on.”

Acrylic paint and graphite are two of Rachel’s favorite mediums to use. The main subject of her work is abstract art. “There is such a wide variety of themes, interpretations, styles… I love getting creative with it!” She explains. Although abstract landscapes are her personal favorite, she also creates still lives and develops expressions in her art. “I also absolutely loved our photography project this semester,” Rachel shares, “And I plan to practice/experiment with cameras and editing more!”

Although Rachel is not an experienced artist, her work is still beautiful. Her photography uses unique shapes and placement to draw the eye in, her acrylic landscapes have bright colors and precise details, and her abstract work is uniquely stunning. Even as a beginner, she has a fantastic understanding of line, color, and composition. And above all, Rachel puts herself into her work–in fact, that’s her number one piece of advice to other student artists. “Connect with your art!” She encourages her peers. “This can be through releasing emotions, sharing beliefs, reliving good memories, and so on.” Art is always more powerful when there is meaning behind it, and Rachel has grasped that concept without any hesitancy. 

Thank you to Rachel Morse for her interview! If you would like to recommend yourself or a friend/student for our artist spotlight, please email [email protected].

Gallery • 4 Photos

An abstract piece by Rachel Morse.