Rachel Clarke Pembrokeshire, United Kingdom
Rachel was born in Southampton and is a sculptural ceramic artist living in South Wales where she has her own small studio. After spending many years in general medical practice as well as in the legal world, she decided to follow a lifelong ambition to practise art. She obtained a first class honours degree in Fine Art in 2020.
STATEMENT OF PRACTICE
Rachel is aphantasic - she has no “mind’s eye” and cannot conjure images in her head. She uses this to her advantage by working with clay initially blindfolded; she has no conscious intention about what to make but feels strongly that what emerges has something to say and wants to be heard. She is a highly empathetic person and this helps her to unpick in her own mind the emotional charge inherent in each completed piece.
Her work therefore has a significant element of spontaneity and her method of working allows her subconscious to express unprocessed thoughts. She often finds that these take the form of a sudden sense of ‘recognition’ of the piece itself and what it seems to be saying.
