38 Artists Magazine December 2019
painting look like a photograph. I mean the essence of
that chair—I didn’t need to articulate every single inch
of it—the literal detail. I could have suggested more.
That’s something I struggle with: How far do I go in tell-
ing, especially because I work from observation? Which
areas of the painting do I want to be more articulate, and
which can be more quiet? They’re equally important,
but that doesn’t necessarily mean I record every inch
of something.”
It’s this intentional absence of those smaller details that
enables the viewers to inject their own reality into the
work—to live in it as the artist does. Rabe finds that it’s
a complicated duality of seeking truth and making room
for others’ truths. “My favorite kind of paintings are meta-
phorical,” she says, “but it’s challenging for me not to say
too much. I used to think, ‘OK, I’m going to just be as
direct as I possibly can, and I’m just going to put down
what’sinfrontofme.’Intheory,I thinkthat’swhatI do.
Butinreality,I’meditingandmakingdecisionsaboutwhat
nottosayallthetime.”Michael Woodson (michaelwoodson.com) is an editor and writer
living in Cincinnati. He works as an editorial and marketing
assistant at Blue Manatee Press, an independent children’s
book publisher.A CREATIVE EVOLUTION
Rabespentthefirstdecadeofhercareerworkingin
a creativefieldadjacenttotheoneshehadwantedin
thefineartsfield,albeitoneshebelievesenabledher
tosucceedwhenshefeltreadytopursuefineart
again.It’sa conceptsheshareswithyoungartists
leavingschoolandenteringtheartworld.
“Itellthemthatyoucanuseyourdesignskillsand
problem-solvingskillsinmanydifferentareas,”she
says.“Creativethinkersarevaluedineveryfield.I’m
a firmbelieverina liberalartseducationandthetypes
ofskillslearnedthere.Theworldischangingsofast,
whoknowswhata particularjobinartisgoingtolook
likein 10 years.
“Youcantryallyouwanttopredictwhatyourcareer
pathmaylooklike,”shecontinues,“buttherealityis
thatnomatterwhereyoustart,yourjobandyour
interestswillevolve.Youmayfindthatyouloveworking
inhumanresources,forexample;meanwhile,allthose
creative-thinkingskillsyoulearned—nomatteryour
major—aregoingtoworkforyou,inyourcareerand
inyourlife.Dowhatyouloveandpursuethat.”