RACHEL MINDRUP

RACHEL MINDRUP

  • About
    • Biography
    • Curriculum Vitae - Exhibitions
    • Awards, Honors, Grants & Residencies
    • Artist Talks / Presentations / Workshops
    • Bibliography
    • Curatorial Work
  • Many Faces of Neurofibromatosis (NF)
    • NF1 ~ Portraits
      • Statement
      • Oil Portraits NF1 (United States)
      • Oil Portraits NF1 (Worldwide)
      • Watercolor Portraits of NF
    • NF2-SWN ~ Portraits
      • Oil Portraits NF2-SWN (United States)
      • Oil Portraits NF2-SWN (Worldwide)
      • Watercolor Portraits
    • NF ~ State Show Collections
      • NF ~ Arizona
      • NF ~ Missouri
      • NF ~ Nebraska
        • Drawings from Life
        • Paintings
      • NF ~ Tennessee
    • NF ~ In Memoriam
      • NF1 Memorials
      • NF2 Memorials
    • NF ~ Marriage
    • NF ~ Kids' Oil Portraits
    • Ashok Shrestha's NF Transformation
      • Drawings
      • Paintings
      • Monotypes
      • Ashok's Visits
  • The Art of Medicine
    • Painting / Drawing
    • Printmaking / Intaglio
  • The Boys
    • Together
    • Henry
    • Fred
  • Solo Exhibitions
    • 2026
      • CHI Bergan Mercy Hospital - Worldwide #2
    • 2025
      • International Museum of Surgical Science, Chicago
      • Blanden Memorial Art Museum
      • Gallery 92 West
      • CHI Bergan Mercy Hospital - Worldwide #1
    • 2024
      • Permission to Stare - Mayo Clinic - Scottsdale
    • 2023
      • See Me: Portraits of NF, Rockhurst University
      • Portraits of NF2 - Deming Gallery, Creighton
      • Murfree Gallery
      • Many Faces of NF: Positive Exposure - NYC
    • 2022
      • Scanxiety: Life Between the Scans - Hot Shops Art Gallery
      • NF Tennessee - Vanderbilt University
      • Permission to Stare: Living with Neurofibromatosis - Creighton University Phoenix
    • 2021
      • Many Faces of NF: Good Samaritan Hospital
      • NF: Kansas and Missouri
      • Neurofibromatosis: A Portrait of Nebraska - Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts
      • Many Faces of NF: Stocksdale Gallery
    • 2020
      • Neurofibromatosis and a Portrait of 1 in 3000 - Creighton University
    • 2019
      • Neurofibromatosis: The People, Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art
      • Many Faces of NF - Hibbing Community College
      • Many Faces of NF: Carnegie Arts Center
    • 2018
      • Many Faces of NF: Norfolk Arts Center
      • Washington University School of Medicine
      • Governor's Mansion - Lincoln, Nebraska
    • 2017
      • Bryan Medical Center
      • Portrait of a Disorder: Neurofibromatosis - KCAC
    • 2016
      • Portrait of a Disorder: Neurofibromatosis - Creighton University
    • 2015
      • Many Faces of NF - Portraits of Neurofibromatosis - UNO
    • 2014
      • Rachel Mindrup: Many Faces of NF - Northwestern College
      • Many Faces of NF - UNK
      • Many Faces of NF - UNL
    • 2013
      • Neuro Art Culture - UNL
  • Paintings / Drawings
    • Oil Paintings
      • Figurative Works
      • Still Lifes
    • Drawings
      • 5 Hour Portraits
      • The Body
  • Airport Sketching
  • Children's Books
  • Blog
  • Contact
Oliver Advocating for the NF Community
Reigate, United Kingdom ~ 2026
Oil on Canvas
30" x 24"

Oliver was born in Cape Town, in South Africa in 1982, and is the oldest of two children. Oliver and his brother were both diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis (NF) at birth and inherited it from their father. NF, particularly type 1, which is the type that they have, is a rare condition characterised by the presentation of tumours which occur at the nerve endings. These appear as little bumps and lumps under the skin. The smaller tumours are called neurofibromas and the larger tumours which cause craniofacial differences are called Plexiform fibromas. Oliver has had both types of tumours. Oliver was born with a plexiform fibroma over his right eye, which grew over time through childhood and into adolescence and yound adulthood. This resulted in a droopy eye. 


Successive rounds of neuropsurgery were performed on Oliver to debulk the tumour, but because they were trying to preserve the right eye, the tumour kept growing back. In 2022, Oliver had craniotomy surgery called to remove the right eye and finally the tumour totally. Because of all the damage the tumour caused, he had a PEAK or plastic skull inserted to help with symmetry or cosmesis. Apart from all the brain surgery, Oliver has had multiple surgeries to remove the neurofibromas when they have become too big. Surgery is a way of life for people with NF. Oliver has faced a lot of discrimination because he looks different. He now campaigns on social media to raise awareness for the joint communities of people living with NF and Visible Differences. He is a motivator, speaker, writer and content creator. His full time day job is as a Mental Health Crisis Worker for the National Health Service in the United Kingdom.