St. John's Prep Teacher to Unveil Coastal Paintings in Debut Show

Topsfield, MA—Slow River Studio in Topsfield will proudly host the debut show of painter and Rowley resident Rachel Fondell beginning Sunday, April 28 and running through June 22. A middle school English and social studies teacher at St. John’s Prep and the mother of two young boys, the artist spends her summers exploring New England’s coastal landscapes with her family and her winters painting. Fondell’s primary medium is acrylic and the gallery will hang 35 of her works depicting still life renderings of dockside and inner-coastal scenes as part of her show entitled “The Coast Up Close.”

Growing up along the marshy wetlands of southern New Jersey, Fondell fell in love at an early age with sweeping landscapes and the up-close intricacies of nature. Her parents
fostered her drive to explore through frequent hiking and kayaking trips. She first studied painting with Kathy English, an accomplished watercolorist.

Fondell’s style is representational and the artist possesses an exceptional eye for texture. Her use of light and shadow conveys a sense of movement in much of her work, which makes manifest the juicy kelp of tidal pools, the chalky glisten of shell clusters, the sun-baked furrows of driftwood, the downy sheen of seabirds and the dappled ripples of an ebbing tide. Most of the pieces in her debut show are inspired by photographs taken during visits to Rockport and Nantucket in the summer of 2023.

“For me, painting is an expression of gratitude and wonder, as well as an escape,” she says. “Weekends with two young boys in tow means my hands are too full for anything more than a smartphone for taking reference photos. Without a proper zoom lens, most of my subject matter is an extreme close-up. I’m sure some onlookers are perplexed when I wade into the water fully clothed or hang off the side of a dock to get just a little closer to some dory or cluster of shells.”

Fondell has been teaching sixth grade at St. John’s Prep in Danvers since its middle school opened in 2015. She helps her students transform their own learning to utilize and appreciate visual avenues to comprehension. Each school year, she conducts a grade-wide watercolor lesson during a unit on feudal Japan as well as a cartooning project that pairs with a graphic novel used in the curriculum.

“Rachel truly brings social studies content alive for her students by integrating art and visual expression in the classroom,” says Justina Zuckerman, a Bedford resident and social studies curriculum coordinator at the Prep Middle School. “Her passion for art extends to all aspects of her teaching, whether it be offering sixth graders a deeper understanding of Japan’s cultural traditions through watercolor painting, or by providing a toolkit for visual learners through her ‘doodle notes’ strategies for better mastery of class concepts. She helps her students understand art as both an extension of their academics and as a valuable tool for understanding the world around them.”

Fondell’s inspiration for bringing art to her cross-disciplinary lessons springs from her former high school history teacher’s doodle notes method.

“My teacher’s ridiculous brand of doodle notes—scenes of a stick figure Napoleon are particularly memorable—were the most indelible lessons for me because I’m such a visual learner,” says Fondell, 35. “I’ve tried to take that into my own classroom. Every child can draw. You don’t have to coerce a preschooler into sketching people. They do it naturally and happily, no matter how wonky the result. It’s not a magical gift or innate talent—but it does take practice. Anyone can do it, and you don’t even have to do it well to enjoy the many benefits of a visual creative outlet.”

This month’s show opening will take place from 3 pm to 6 pm on Sunday, April 28 in Topsfield. Light refreshments will be provided. Street parking is available outside Slow River Studio (slowriverstudio.com), located at 17 Main Street in Topsfield, Mass. There is also a large municipal lot around the corner on Park Street. All work from “The Coast Up Close” is now available for viewing and purchase online through 6/22 at slowriverstudio.com.