Rachel Siegel is a former architect turned illustrator, based in Los Angeles. She has been drawing since early childhood – horses, houses, people and fashion, experimenting with Prismacolor pencils, pastels and watercolors. Siegel’s love for drawing lead her toward a degree in architecture, where her favorite classes were design, drawing, rendering and illustration. She did a summer study-abroad program in Greece and Italy, followed by a semester in Mexico City, which sparked a love for travel sketching and the lifelong practice of keeping a sketchbook. Siegel writes, “Throughout two decades as an architect, conceptual hand drawings, illustrative vignettes and renderings were always some of the most enjoyable parts of my work. Now, drawing is the heart of my art studio.”

In October 2020, we hosted Siegel at MacArthur Place for a short residency where she created a beautiful and expansive body of work depicting a myriad of facades, facets and little vignettes of our lush, historic property. Siegel’s signature style of illustration, featuring architectural details elegantly framed by natural foliage, brings to life the beauty, natural bounty and historical pedigree of MacArthur Place. The drawings from her residency were created plein air (drawn on location).

Learn More About The Artist

Additional Works from Siegel’s Residency