Rachel Personett was born in Hawaii, but raised in Colorado. Being the daughter of a pilot, she has always traveled extensively. Personett has studied part-time at the Savannah College of Art and Design, the Angel Academy of Art, and finally settled at the Florence Academy of Art, graduating in 2015. In January 2016, she apprenticed painter Odd Nerdrum in Norway for eight months. She is currently working as a Principal Instructor at The Florence Academy of Art, in Göteborg, Sweden.

Rachel Personett works strictly from life, and enjoys the challenges of painting the ephemeral. “Landscapes painted from life have so much air in them. It’s like you can walk into the painting and breathe. I’d rather have a quick, sketchy landscape from life, than an accurately painted landscape from a photo any day,” says Personett.

All Hallows’ Eve was painted en plein air, using the sight size method. The painting was completed in one four-hour session. Rachel Personett worked quickly and accurately to capture the moody Halloween afternoon. “Autumn is my favorite time to paint, but leaves are unpredictable and can easily blow away. Painting at this time of year is all about planning and timing.”