Reflecting on: Marcia Rackstraw draws inspiration from Japanese tapestries, greenery and a touch of mystery

Placitas artist Marcia Rackstraw paints vertical “rooms” filled with exotic greenery, koi and the mysterious hint of figures.

The artist’s latest body of work is on exhibit at Wild Hearts Gallery in Placitas through Sept. 29.

The long, narrow planes in oil on canvas radiate vibrant color and light, inspired by Japanese tapestries.

“I was fascinated by that tall, narrow shape,” Rackstraw said. “I also was fascinated by the way the space was designated. It was more of a stacked space.”

Reflecting on: Marcia Rackstraw draws inspiration from Japanese tapestries, greenery and a touch of mystery

The perspective shifts so the viewer is at once in front of, above or below as the objects push off the surface.

After growing up in Palo Alto, California and spending some time in Washington state, Rackstraw moved to Placitas in 1981. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1983 and her master’s degree in 1985 from the University of New Mexico.

“I came down to New Mexico to get out of the rains,” she said.

Upon graduation, Rackstraw spent 26 years as an advertising designer for a small Albuquerque publishing company, rising to the position of art director before she retired in 2014.

She always kept a studio for painting.

Her new paintings combine her love of tropical greenery with her sense of mystery within tall, thin spaces.

“I liked the idea of the objects thrusting out into the viewer’s face,” Rackstraw said.

The slender stems and ruffled leaves came from some years of living in Hawaii. “I like the idea of these bits of foliage being very fanciful,” she added.

Rackstraw begins with a loose drawing on paper, then blocks it out with paint. She often rubs that out, creating “beautiful ghost figures,” she said.

Koi sometimes emerge within the vegetation, as do ponds. Slices of figures may appear on the sides through glimpses of fabrics and soft shoulders.

“It adds to the mystery of the painting,” Rackstraw said. “Is she really there?”

The obi sashes reference the knotted fabric worn over kimonos.

The figures are a very recent emergence. Rackstraw last painted them when she was teaching a class on figure drawing while she was working on her master’s degree. She wants to incorporate them more into future paintings.

Rackstraw painted animals for 10 years after traveling to South Africa.

“It has come full circle,” Rackstraw said, “Back to the figure and fabric.”

The exhibit marks her fourth solo show at Wild Hearts. Rackstraw also shows her work on the Placitas Studio Tour.