Rachel Grace Borntrager, 36, (she/her/hers) is an abstract expressionist and portrait painter. Rachel’s art is inspired by elements of somatic therapy and the emotional complexity experienced in close relationships. Rachel uses a combination of fluid layers of paint, negative space, and lines on raw canvas to express moments deeply felt by the body but which may be overlooked by analytical and language-based thinking. In her most recent paintings, she uses intuitive line marks to externally “map” the body’s emotional responses and breath. Her paintings and workshops all have one goal: to aid people in their process of becoming whole. “Art to honor wholeness” has been her personal motto since the day she started her career as a visual artist. Rachel hosts collaborative workshops called “Painting Your Breath-Line Art” for both public and private groups, often co-leading with local therapists and other artists.

Rachel received her BA in Studio Art from College of the Ozarks and has worked professionally for 5 years now. She creates art for members of her community in Northwest Arkansas and beyond, including for therapists, non-profits, charities, businesses, and churches. Rachel is wife to Chris, and mommy to Evs, Bo, and Paul. You can find her exploring the outdoors, reading a cookbook or a collection of essays on history, and there’s no stopping her if she’s feeling the beat to a song. Having grown up in St. Louis, Missouri, Rachel has been a resident of Fayetteville, Arkansas for 13 years.