Based just outside of Washington, DC, in Maryland, Rachel Heiss is a watercolor artist whose work celebrates the meaningful details of everyday life.

She holds a B.A. in Art and Art History and an M.A.T. in Art Education from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. After three years teaching elementary art, she transitioned to working as a full-time artist in 2018, building a practice centered on commissioned paintings and teaching both college courses and watercolor workshops around the city.

Working across traditional watercolor, watercolor pencils, and water-soluble wax pastels, she paints an eclectic range of subjects, from homes, people, and pets to food, flowers, and the unexpected objects that make up our lives. Her personal work explores growth and the ongoing process of beginning again.

Often rooted in the rhythms of family life and the act of noticing what is right in front of her, Rachel’s paintings capture fleeting moments, evolving identities, and the beauty of the everyday.