Eleven years ago, in the middle of her junior year at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, Rachelle Kuehl (then Mustful) noticed several of her friends working on some interesting homework for a class called Color Design.  While she typed away at yet another English essay, her art major peers used paint and cut paper to examine color theory.  Intrigued, Rachelle asked the professor whether there was any available room in his upcoming course.  There wasn’t—every drafting table in the Art Barn was full—but Professor Wendell Arneson, legendary for treating his students to Dove Bars during class, graciously offered her a chair at the back counter.  Rachelle loved the class and wanted to take another painting course, but the only one offered, in what was now the last semester of her senior year, was watercolor—a type of painting that had always seemed much too difficult.  At the last minute, however, Rachelle had a change of heart and went to the first session, asking Professor Arneson if there was any room.  Once again, there was not, but once again, he invited her to the back counter. 

Rachelle soon discovered that watercolor was not, in fact, too difficult, but instead, the perfect medium for her to express her artistic talent.  She went on to graduate from St. Olaf and earn her degree in elementary education.  She taught first grade for several years in the Washington, D.C. area, often using her beloved students as portrait subjects.  Rachelle now lives in Roanoke, Virginia, with her husband, Dan, an artist himself and the art teacher at Breckinridge Middle School, and their daughter, Faith, who serves as a constant source of joy and artistic inspiration.

A love for children stirs Rachelle’s creativity. Her portraits reveal the spirit of her subjects, captured through a unique color style with an antique-like charm. Every child is gifted with an innocence that leaps from the page as one admires Rachelle’s work. Her paintings are timeless.

In her community, Rachelle extends her expansive knowledge to the next generation of artists through her dynamic art lessons. With Rachelle’s careful instruction, students learn to express their creativity and communicate thoughts and experiences through artistic description. She teaches fundamentals like color, line, and texture while helping her young students discover their own lasting relationship with art.

Rachelle Kuehl Watercolor Portrait Artist

Rachelle Kuehl: portrait artist.  Have a beautiful personalized portrait painted by Rachelle today.  Portraiture makes a great gift for loved ones, or a keepsake for yourself!