Rachel Espenlaub developed her unique style of triangle-based geometric abstraction after years of realism painting. The inception of this style began with an etching of a pointed roof and window that was ridiculed during a printmaking course in college. Unable to erase her work, she carved a design on the remainder of the plate that mimicked the triangular shapes already present. Being pushed out of her comfort zone and into abstraction ignited an obsession with clean shapes and lines that inspires her work today. 

Rachel uses structure and rules as the basis for her work. She uses color, shape to explore stages of movement and growth. Sharp, crisp edges add definition and emphasize orderliness. Rules and patterns create predictability and calmness, but are inevitably broken. She leans into her introverted personality to create these monumental orchestrated, architectural landscapes to bring a calm but exciting focus.

Rachel earned a B.F.A. in Painting from Tyler School of Art at Temple University (Philadelphia, PA) in 2015, including a year and half study abroad in Rome, Italy.

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