Artist Statement

Sometimes I feel like my family life is caged within a medical bubble. In this series of drawings, pill capsules provided an opportunity to metaphorically represent my experience of feeling trapped inside medical uncertainty. I'm fascinated by the juxtaposition of perfection and sudden change in life, and I explored this through the contrast of bold words and soft pencil. My journey of creation and personal struggle has made me appreciate that everyone’s reality is their normal and everyone’s normal looks different.

Artwork Process

This series stemmed from experimenting with a microphotograph of a pill capsule overlaid on instructions on my prescription medication. The transition to graphite mark-making created a softness, metaphorically representing the fragility and temporality of health. Words evoking memories regarding the nuances of life inside the medical bubble were assigned fonts that, to me, enhance the metaphor.

About the Artist

Name: Rachel McRae
School: The Gap State High School
Artwork: My Normal
Media: Graphite on paper

Rachel McRae grew up with a strong attachment to family and its importance. In her work she draws upon personal experience of sudden illness to explore her awakening — a shift to a clear sense of a ‘before’ and then an ‘after’. She examines this new reality as a way of grounding herself and maintaining her connection to family.