As a child, she copied drawings of
animals from magazines, trying to
emulate the art of others. Following
home-schooling, she studied drawing
at Weatherford College, finding her
way into the mediums of pen and ink
and watercolors. It was at WC that
she realized that making art was what
she wanted to do with her life.
Her work is relaxed (though not
imprecise) and lush with washes.
At times her pieces display a cute
whimsicality — a penguin attired in
a baseball jacket, a tiny jackalope
sprouting antlers. In a mixed media
piece (watercolor, gouache, oil,
pastel, India ink and salt) a lizard
or iguana engages in a desert stare-
off with a white-hot sun hung in
a dreamy blue-blotched sky. The
effect is somewhat surreal and quite
successful at drawing the viewer into
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the work. Most of her subjects are
denizens of the animal kingdom.
According to Durbin, art is about
relaxing.
“And for me personally, it’s a way
to express myself,” she said. “As for
why I put it out there — it makes me
happy and I see how other people
like it and want to see more. It’s
like a way for everyone to express
themselves by choosing to look at
and choosing to admire it. It relaxes
people; it relaxes me. I don’t know…
It feels right for me and everybody
who gets involved with it.”
Though she’s been at it a while,
Durbin is still trying to put it together,
a career incorporating the things she
loves with the realities of real-world
life.
“I’m still trying to get my start,
honestly, but I think it’s coming
together now more than ever. I’m
really trying to promote myself more
and really put myself out there. I’ve
been trying to network more. Things
like that. My primary platform is
Instagram; so I’ve been getting a lot
more active on my Instagram and
getting commissions. I hope to start
selling prints soon.”
It’s unclear whether barista Rachel
whistles while she works, but she
loves her job at Starbucks as shift
manager. Still, a life of art is the goal.
Her plans include illustrating chil-
dren’s books, possibly teaming up
with writers to produce more seam-
less work.
“It’s a passion,” she concluded,
“one I’ve had since I was a little girl.
I’m getting there.”