Mosaic is the medium of choice for artist and musician/songwriter Rachel Reader’s debut exhibition at Colonnade House.
Mosaic tiles offer an endless range of permutations and Rachel’s versatility as an artist is demonstrated through her exploration of the tile’s textures, sizes, colours and thicknesses and application of them. Rachel describes the process as
A wonderful way to tap into and explore your innate creative abilities, releasing your inner self to express your soul to others. By experimenting with a variety of different tiles I can create & build artwork pieces that are completely individualistic and unique that reflect who I am, my life and tell my story. I don’t set out to do it but each piece I create seems to have an underlying message whether it is for myself or others and that’s what I find exciting. I never quite know what will happen when I embark on a new project and what the result will be.
Being selective about the type and combination of tiles used is of the utmost importance to Rachel as the endless array of choices can affect the final outcome of a piece. The use of mirrors, mirror pieces along with iridescent, reflective glass and exquisite mother of pearl tiles can create eye-catching and absolutely stunning effects as natural light shines upon each mosaic.
Rachel has been enamoured with art since childhood and loves visiting museums, art galleries and learning about other artists. As a self-taught artist she has honed her own style over the years, experimenting with different mediums such as mosaic, watercolours and acrylics. She takes inspiration from nature as well as impressionist painters, drawing on their use of colour, vibrancy and contrast between light and dark.
The piece, ‘From Brokenness to Beauty’ is a ‘subconscious expression’ of Rachel’s journey from the recovery from the past traumas she experienced in her life of violence and abuse to inner healing and wholeness. Just like her life each individual piece has been placed and put back together in such a way to create something that reflects beauty and completeness. It is a message to others that nothing is beyond redemption. Bad past experiences do not have to define our futures and that something good can come out of the broken pieces of our lives.
Rachel is also a musician/songwriter and has 3 albums of her own music available on her website at www.rachelereader.com along with her artwork.
