The Artist
Rachel Schafer is an oil painter based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Her work explores themes of memory, nostalgia, and the emotional resonance of everyday moments. Working primarily with oil on mounted birch panels, she creates layered, atmospheric paintings that feel like frozen frames -fleeting images suspended in time.
Rachel’s interest in art began early. Her mom loves to tell a story from when she was little. If she asked Rachel what she wanted to do on any given day, the answer was always: colouring. Her mom is a painter too, so she was happy to sit down and colour with her but that was it. That is all she ever wanted to do. Fast forward a few decades and she has just swapped crayons for oil paints and construction paper for birch panels.
While studying business at the University of Saskatchewan, Rachel found her way back to painting through elective fine arts courses, including an intensive summer session that marked her first formal experience with acrylics. Those classes became the foundation for what would eventually become her professional art practice. After graduating, she began showing her work at local markets and festivals – most notably the Saskatoon Fringe Festival, where the ten-day event pushed her to develop her first full body of work and engage directly with the public.
Rachel went on to exhibit through Collector’s Choice Art Gallery until its closure in 2023. Around that time, her work caught the eye of Dervilia Art & Design gallerist. Adele, who welcomed her into the gallery’s roster of artists.
The Work
Memory plays a central role across Rachel’s body of work. Her paintings often reflect the strange clarity of mental “snapshots” – moments that, while seemingly mundane or insignificant, become symbolic and emotionally charged over time. These freeze-frames are deeply personal yet universally felt.
In her figurative pieces, Rachel often presents anonymous or partially obscured subjects. This is an intentional choice, allowing viewers to project their own stories and emotions onto the work. Her aim is not to center her own narrative, but to invite others into a shared emotional space.
Her Retro series continues this exploration of memory, focusing on vanished places and objects from the past. These works are rooted in nostalgia for spaces that once held meaning but can no longer be revisited – except through the lens of memory.
Materials + Process
Rachel paints predominately with oils on mounted birch panels. Though she began with acrylics and briefly explored watercolor, she eventually felt constrained by the medium and shifted to oils – a decision that reinvigorated her creativity and deepened her technical practice.
She uses an indirect painting method, building up each image in five to eight layers. The process begins with a loose block-in of values and shapes, followed by successive layers that refine the color palette, composition, and detail. The final layer is where the painting comes together in tone, texture, and emotion.
Her recent work incorporates a modified Zorn palette – cadmium red, yellow ochre, ivory black, titanium white, and raw umber – particularly in skin tones. This limited palette approach has strengthened her color mixing skills and helped create harmony across her work.
Rachel’s studio practice is quiet and intentional. She works from her home studio, often accompanied by her dog, an audiobook, and a warm drink. It’s in this calm, focused environment that she brings her intimate, memory-driven paintings to life.