Jami Nix Rahn lives and works in Edwards, Colorado

Born: 1955 Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.A.

Education: 

2006    B.F.A. Summa Cum Laude, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL.

1976-1977.  University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Fl. Coursework in Graphic Design, no degree.

Masters Classes/Apprenticeships

Daniel E. Greene PSA, NA, AWS, Portrait Painting

Arts Students League New York, New York, John Hultberg, Richard Pionk

National Academy School, New York, New York, Peter Paone

Fundicao De Arte Jose de Castro Guedes LDA, Jose Da Silva Abreu, Bronze Casting, Lisbon, Portugal

Olympio Pedro Pires, Stone Carving, Loures, Portugal

Porfirio Simoes, Stone Carving, Monte Lavar, Portugal

_________________________________

About the Artist

A continuous journey of adaptation and discovery has marked Jami Nix Rahn's life. Growing up in a military family, she became accustomed to frequent relocations as part of her childhood.

This nomadic lifestyle, coupled with the pivotal decision to leave college and immerse herself in her artistic passions in Europe, has deeply influenced her creative practice, which encompasses drawing, painting, and sculpture.

Settling in Portugal, Rahn sought to learn the skills of stone carving and bronze casting by engaging in intense apprenticeships that shaped her formative years, learning under the guidance and ethos of master artisans. Her experiences extended to Switzerland and Brazil, where she enriched her artistic perspective and practice amidst diverse cultural landscapes. The early influence of sculptural giants such as Alberto Giacometti, Henry Moore, and Auguste Rodin, with their mastery of avant-garde spatial exploration, profoundly impacted her approach to form, space, and the dynamic capacity of art, instilling a deep appreciation for the power of the human form and the abstract in conveying complex emotions and narratives.

Upon returning to the U.S., Rahn immersed herself in oil and pastel painting at the Arts Students League in New York and ventured into portraiture under the tutelage of Daniel E. Greene PSA, NA, AWS. This period refined her craft and fused European insights with New York's vibrant art scene.

Following her years in New York, Rahn eventually settled in South Florida, coinciding with the burgeoning period of Art Basel Miami Beach and the transformation of the Wynwood district into a canvas for street art. The vivid colors, bold lines, and raw energy of street art in Wynwood profoundly influenced Rahn's approach, injecting an element of spontaneity and urban vibrancy into her work. This experience was pivotal, expanding her visual vocabulary and broadening her artistic horizons, setting the stage for a new exploratory phase.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, while relocating from South Florida to Colorado without access to her studio, Rahn found an opportunity within the constraints. Surrounded by packed boxes, she discovered large sheets of paper, ink, and tools acquired three decades earlier on a trip to China. Engaging with these materials, she began creating ink splashes on paper, meticulously connecting fine dots. This process evolved into a metaphor for contact tracing, mirroring our collective experience of the pandemic. These ink drawings became a canvas for shared pandemic stories, seen by observers as the life-giving network of pulmonary capillaries, topographical maps, stellar constellations, and the sensuous outlines of the female form, infusing each piece with layered meanings reflective of the observer's lived experiences.

After settling into the Vail Valley, Rahn's artistic exploration broadened into large-scale abstract oil paintings, drawing inspiration from the awe-inspiring Rockies. This majestic setting awakened a sense of environmental stewardship. Paintings began to explore the delicate web of connections in nature, from the root systems of aspen trees to the mycelium network beneath mushrooms, all under the expansive Rocky Mountain skies that invite us to ponder our cosmic connections.

Jami Nix Rahn has exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States and internationally. Her work is also part of public and private collections worldwide, reflecting its broad appeal and recognition.