Rachael Reeves’ paintings have been described as ‘visual resolutions which attempt to make sense of her own fragmented experience,’ and in extension, the multifaceted experience of the viewer. She is interested in manipulating the space and forms of the painting surface to reflect a sense of displacement and disorientation, echoing the uncertainty and elastic nature of time.
Rachael describes her paintings as ‘visual soundscapes’; their fragmented nature describing the reality of experience. They reflect the way we see: the continual movement of our heads and the shifting of our eyes renders fixed, linear perspective as a 'false' way of looking. Each layered fragment or interrupted object acts as a separate segment of seeing, experienced in a snapped second.
The bold chiaroscuro employed resembles a theatrical stage set. Directional lighting from 'off stage', leading the viewer’s eye around the picture plane, as well as introducing a psychological optimism to the spaces. This external light acts as an interchange between the interior and the exterior - a theme she has explored throughout her career.
Rachael's recent still lives are inspired by her late father David Reeves who was a ceramicist. Some of his pots feature in her paintings and these works have given Rachael an opportunity to spend time looking at and painting the objects he made with his hands as she creates works with her own.
Rachael studied at Coventry University and then at the Chelsea College of Art where she completed her MA, and her tutors included Ian Stevenson and Therese Oulton. She is tutor at the Newlyn School of Art and a member of the Newlyn Society of Artists. She also exhibits her work at The Stratford Gallery, Broadway.
The bold chiaroscuro employed resembles a theatrical stage set. Directional lighting from 'off stage', leading the viewer’s eye around the picture plane, as well as introducing a psychological optimism to the spaces. This external light acts as an interchange between the interior and the exterior - a theme she has explored throughout her career.
Rachael's recent still lives are inspired by her late father David Reeves who was a ceramicist. Some of his pots feature in her paintings and these works have given Rachael an opportunity to spend time looking at and painting the objects he made with his hands as she creates works with her own.
Rachael studied at Coventry University and then at the Chelsea College of Art where she completed her MA, and her tutors included Ian Stevenson and Therese Oulton. She is tutor at the Newlyn School of Art and a member of the Newlyn Society of Artists. She also exhibits her work at The Stratford Gallery, Broadway.
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