Achieving the perfect balance of light and dark, seriousness and silliness, Rachel Hayden’s paintings are the culmination of her life’s experiences, expressed through unique subjects, seductive symmetries and detached figures. The piece is both absorbing and withdrawn. Her whimsical critters and plants do not stray from these tense atmospheres at all—on the contrary, they are willing to watch and participate. Here, we dive deeper into her confusing image, as she shares what it means to her personally and how she manages to juggle art and life.
Zara Kand: What is your family environment like? What got you to where you are now?
Rachel Hayden: I moved to Brooklyn from Baltimore in March 2020 with the plan of finding a job as a nanny, but the COVID lockdown soon began. I haven’t found a studio in Brooklyn yet, so I just create work on paper in the nice little studio apartment I share with my boyfriend and our cat. It was a chaotic and stressful time, but looking back now, I feel so privileged. Fortunately, selling these works on paper helped me get through the pandemic and gave me the confidence to focus on my art full-time for the next few years. In fact, it felt like it was my only option at the time. Also, we moved to New York mainly because my boyfriend is a musician and I’m an artist, so it was a now or never situation. This was great for a few years, but eventually I really started to run out of money. In 2023, I got a full-time job as an assistant for another artist, so now I try to juggle that job with creating my own work in the evenings and weekends.
ZK: It sounds like there are restrictions that force you to be more resourceful. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing?
RH: Having less time definitely makes my time more valuable and I value my time in the studio more than ever. Working for another artist taught me new things and made me approach my work differently. I try to treat my art more
The care and attention to detail is now the same as if it were someone else’s. My apartment and studio are both small, so I think the way I have to cram things into the space I have has an impact on my painting. I had to try and piece everything together into a rectangle that I could use.
