Wild at Heart by Michelle Rahbar

Wild at Heart
Michelle Rahbar
Oil, acrylic + cut paper on canvas
30”h x 40"w
2024

This piece is inspired by this Tennessee Williams quote, that resonates deeply in both the animal and human kingdom:

"A prayer for the wild at heart
Kept in cages.
I know how you long
To run wild and free
To feel your blood pumping
To hear your heart beating faster "

Get to Know the Austin Artist:
I'm a local Austin artist who's happiest when covered in paint working in my East Side studio. I'm a member of the new art collective Bolm Arts, and I'm a proud mom to a very inspiring 8 year old. I make curiously strange mixed media paintings that bring to life magical figures that act as gatekeepers to places of transformation. I’m inspired by my travels, spirit animals, dreams and personal history. I like to make work that’s slow to reveal itself. Layered stories.

Making art is how I make sense of the world. According to scientists, our first two decades seem to pass as slowly as the rest of our lives, so that our early experiences carry vastly more psychic weight than those of adulthood. If this is true then all the landscapes, whispers, meteor showers and memories I’ve witnessed have left their indelible mark on my work.