Meet California-based Artist Rachel Eligon
Rachel Eligon is a painter, writer, and digital artist based in Burbank, California. She has previously worked as a storyboard artist for Warner Brothers and Nickelodeon. You can find out more about her on her website and Instagram.
Editor’s Note: This interview discusses pregnancy loss.
CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION: Where are you from originally, and what brought you to your current city?
RACHEL ELIGON: I grew up in Denver, Colorado. I moved to Los Angeles to attend college and then to Burbank post-graduation since most of the major animation studios are in that area and I was hoping to get hired at one. Now I’ve lived in Burbank for seven years.
How do understand your vocation as a Catholic artist?
For a long time, despite caring deeply about my faith, I had never really seen myself as or desired to be labeled as a “Catholic artist.” I have distinct memory of my father telling me while I was in high school, “Maybe you’ll be the next C.S. Lewis or G.K. Chesterton.” I immediately protested, my first instinct being that I did not want to be constricted by religious subjects; I wanted to create what I wanted to create, and to paint pictures of the Bible seemed overdone and boring. Then, in August of 2024, my husband and I lost our first and currently only child, Jude, to miscarriage, and my heart was rent in two, along with my trust in God. I found myself yelling at him through tears, unable to understand why I had been given such a heavy cross. In the midst of this suffering, my painting became a way to pray when I no longer had the words. Works such as “Every Wound for You,” “He Has Destroyed Death,” and “Her Baby Boy,” were all created as I tried and continue to try to pick up the pieces of my shattered world and figure out how God is asking me to proceed. Despite my childhood reticence, I have found a deeper fulfillment and meaning in these works than I ever had in my previous endeavors, and it makes me laugh sometimes to think how much better God’s plan was for me once I finally let him direct my work.
Further, as I began to display and sell my art at parish festivals, I found that it spoke in a particular way to those who had also suffered greatly. A moment I remember in particular was when a woman passed my booth, saw “Every Wound for You,” and immediately began crying. After a moment, she shared with me that she had had a seizure 10 years ago, and that the only way she had managed to get herself through the recovery process was imagining herself being held by Jesus in the same way I had painted. I gave her a hug and shared about my miscarriage, and I found it such a blessing that my art had helped us to connect so meaningfully. From then on, I have felt that I am called to use my artwork to console others and remind them of God’s presence in their pain, especially those who have lost a child like I have. I do this in a way that is especially close to my heart by creating family portraits for families of child loss in partnership with Red Bird Ministries.
Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?
Unfortunately, in my experience, there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of support for Catholic artists within the proper hierarchy of the Church, and many who express interest in my artwork often also express disappointment that I desire payment. The greatest support I’ve found has been from my friend Krista Corbello, who runs the Newman Center at St. Philip the Apostle out in Pasadena, California. Though her role does not specifically encompass this area, she is an artist herself and feels a deep conviction to foster community between Catholic artists and provide opportunities where they are lacking. She has regularly reached out to me for help in various projects, such as painting the artwork for the prayer cards for the Pasadena Eucharistic Revival and designing the set for a play the Newman Center put on, has set up various events where she has allowed me and other Catholic artists to sell without a vendor’s fee, and has advocated for members of the parish to recognize the value of my work both spiritually and monetarily. I deeply appreciate her drive and her continual efforts to be a patron of an arts in an area the larger Church has allowed to fall to the wayside.
How can the Church be more welcoming to artists?
Personally, I think the Church needs to be both more active in recruiting Catholic artists for their various projects, and more active in commissioning new art in general. I found it rather frustrating when it was revealed the artist who created Luce, the Jubilee 2025 mascot, was not Catholic. There are so many faithful Catholic artists who long to use our work for the greater glory of God, and to see us all passed over in favor of a popular secular artist was disheartening. Further, many modern churches lack color and beauty, and I always see that as such a glaring opportunity to support and foster Catholic art by asking Catholic artists to fill those empty walls. The Church used to be such a towering patron of the arts, but now it seems to rarely even consider directing any of its funds or efforts in that direction. We see clergy, bishops, and even popes bemoaning the lack of new Catholic art in the popular culture, but it seems almost none are willing to recognize that in order to make a dent in the popular culture, we need communal and financial support. I look at how the Mormons have all this money and support directed towards creating art through Angel Studios and their regular church-wide art competition and exhibition, and I long to see our Church putting that amount of effort into our artists.
Where in your city do you regularly find spiritual fulfillment?
My husband and regularly attend both St. Finbar and St. Robert Bellarmine in Burbank, but in terms of a church with a particularly beautiful liturgy, St. Andrew in Pasadena takes the cake. Whenever my husband and I attend Mass there, I find myself wishing every Novus Ordo church had that level of excellence in music and reverence to the sacredness of the liturgy. Regarding church groups, my husband and I have found the greatest community at the young adult group at the aforementioned Newman Center at St. Philip the Apostle in Pasadena. They regularly have talks about the faith, Eucharistic Adoration, community events like plays and art fairs, and holiday celebrations, and it’s a joy to participate in them.
What is your daily spiritual practice?
Every morning, I try to dedicate the first half hour of my day to Jesus. Usually I spend about 15 minutes in conversation with him, and then spend the following 15 minutes reading the Bible. My husband and I also have a set of morning and evening prayers we do together, which help us stay connected even on weeks where we are busy or overwhelmed. Depending on the subject matter, I often try to paint my religious pieces in silence in order to make them a prayer and over God the space to speak to me through them.
What other practical resources would you recommend to a Catholic artist living in your city?
I absolutely adore hanging out at Uptown Coffee in Glendale, California to write my novels or brainstorm ideas for my paintings. The environment is very calm and casual and it’s also great for meeting friends and relaxing. Regarding stores for supplies, Remainders in Pasadena is very cool! It’s a thrift store that sells leftover art supplies, and you can get some really wonderful deals there. Just be sure to check the hours, because they have a few odd days off. Ingrid Gil shot my headshot for me, and she's a lovely, sweet fellow Catholic.