RACHEL PANK
Artist, Printmaker, Author
Having lived and studied previously in West Wales, I am delighted to have the opportunity to return and tune into a wilder setting, and allow this to inform my work during this month.
I have worked as a printmaker, photographer, author, illustrator and tutor. I like to push the boundaries of what is possible with materials and combining techniques.
I draw upon motifs from nature in my work which offer a stillness and quiet space to the observer. My current practice is focussed on printing unique one-off pieces by hand with non-toxic washable inks, and I make use of recycled materials that would otherwise go to waste. Sometimes pieces are directly drawn or painted but I also return and rework; building up layers, or reducing and tearing and collaging my own work to make larger pieces, as in ‘Cygnus’, one of two works commissioned early in 2023 and now in situ at O2 Greenwich, London.
The image below is Cygnus Constellation relief print , monotype, drawing , ink, paint and collage
This residency will give me the space to respond to the surroundings and see what unfolds through the process of observing and making. Recent series have been triggered by the intensity of hot summers and environmental change, for example ‘Flowers of the Sea, We are Fragile’.
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The first image is We are Fragile ll Flowers of the Sea Mixed media on paper. The second image is We are Fragile V Flowers of the Sea Mixed media on paper
In ‘Inside, Outside’ I explore the world framed through the window reflecting issues of freedom and constraint. The first image is Inside, Outside Unique monotype. The second image is Through the Window, Lockdown.
Unique relief print using inside of tetra-pak packaging
February is an introspective time of year, not quite hibernating but a period of stillness before the unfurling of Spring. I look forward to seeing what develops from drawing on this time and quiet space and my return to West Wales. The image below is Snow Moon Unique monotype on Chinese paper
