Hello
My name is Rachel and I create handmade, one of a kind ceramic monsters and limited edition watercolour prints.
Born in Manchester, England to a house of incredibly creative and supportive people, I have been making and creating things my entire life - it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I studied art all the way through school, took on photography in college, spent a year at Manchester Metropolitan University doing their Fine Art Foundation Course and then went to Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design at Dundee University to study for my BA (Hons) Fine Art.
After graduating and coming home to Manchester, I found my first studio at Islington Mill in Salford where I continued to develop my ceramics. I officially started my business in 2017, selling my work at artisan and craft markets as well as online.
In 2023 I bought my first house and, with the help of my incredible partner and family, spent a year turning an old garden shed into my new, fully fitted, functioning and gorgeous home studio!
Meet the Monsters
It was during my 4 year degree course that I found clay and my monsters found me. I had been doodling little monsters in pen for a while when I decided to switch to watercolours and this seemed to bring them to life. You have to let go of a lot of control with watercolours and let the water and paint guide the direction of the painting. I find this technique means that even quite simple, minimalist paintings can have real depth.
It’s a very similar idea with my clay work. When you create characters like my monsters on paper, you instantly want to see them come alive in 3D. These monsters were developing so organically with paint that I wanted another medium that felt connected to nature and the earth, so clay was the obvious material to try and I fell in love!
Working by hand to form each monster makes it feel as if I’m literally pulling them from the earth. Sometimes the clay doesn’t cooperate or just takes me in directions I wasn’t expecting to go and I’ve learnt it’s best to let it do its thing. There’s a Japanese idea called wabi-sabi which focuses on finding beauty in the imperfection and impermanence of everything. Since my work is all inspired by the earth and natural world, these are ideas that really appeal to me.