Rachel Garrard
Which 3 words best define how you would like your art to be perceived?
SUBLIME / MULTI-DIMENSIONAL / PORTALS
What creative challenge have you faced and overcome that has transformed your art practice?
I think learning how to create art whilst I am not in the studio has been a challenge. The last couple of years I have been moving around and spending time in remote natural places. Not having the routine and studio equipment on hand has been both frustrating and ultimately liberating. I have had to push myself to think differently and use what I have available at the moment. This has lead me to using natural materials that I have on hand like plants and rocks instead of bought paints, and also creating ephemeral sculptures out of nature where only the documentation remains.
What tools do you use as part of the preliminary stages of your process?
There is a lot of preliminary work before anything comes into fruition. My work comes to me as ideas and images in moments of contemplation. I then draw, sketch, and write down these ideas and concepts, playing around with materials and experimenting before starting a work. I also like to read and research a lot of ideas, which become incorporated in the process.
How do you usually start an art session - any habits or rituals ?
I have quite a specific routine in order to get into a creative zone. I wake up, practice yoga, meditate, have a small breakfast then sit down somewhere peaceful, either the studio or a coffee shop, drink a strong espresso, listen to loud music in my head phones and get out my sketch book. I call this my ‘coffee sketchbook time’ and I try to dedicate at least an hour to this practice everyday. This is the moment when most of my ideas assimilate. The meditation cleans the mind and creates an emptiness from which to receive images and information, then the coffee gives me a rush of energy and the desire to manifest those ideas into something physical.
How do you deal with doubts and fears?
There is always a lot of doubt when it comes to creating work, whether something is going to work or not. But from experience you just have to push through it and let go of the outcome, for me getting into a creative trance zone helps, then I am not thinking about it too much and just allow the creation to come through. If I am scared to do something that is usually the path I need to take. Things don’t make sense until they are finished.
With what intentions do you infuse your art making?
It is a life long process to understand what the work is trying to say. I am searching for a truth, the essence of nature, the hidden essence of life. But I am realising that the whole of nature, though we always seek it, remains hidden from us. My art tries, I believe, to show as much of a wholeness that I can comprehend.
Where do you draw your color inspiration from ?
I like to use natural materials in my work, I am drawn to thing that have an essential quality, I like using powdered quartz crystal, it has a sublime quality. I also use rocks that I have collected on my travels and grind them in to pigment, or materials that I come across like sand, salt, or plants. I like the symbolism of materials that already exist. I love to use ash, for me it is one of the most sacred substances. In India, Sadhu’s cover their naked bodies with ash as a sign that they transcended the material needs of physical life. Ash is what remains when all else has been burnt away: the imperishable truth.
What brilliant piece of advice were you given on your creative journey and would be happy to share?
Do what you love, follow your passion and don’t worry about what other people think of it. Good things take time, trust your own process and timing.
What do you like about your work & what do you dislike about it?
I like the process of making the work, I am exploring and discovering something through it. It is a process of transformation that I myself am also going through. I guess I only don’t like it when I am stuck and something feels like it is not flowing, or if I am repeating myself and it feels stagnant.
What is something absurd that you love doing ?
I name all of my paintings and talk to them like a friend. I am always referring to them as ‘her’, and ‘she’ doesn’t like to be in direct sunlight etc. They are very sensitive and have a life force of their own.
What do you tell yourself to keep you out of procrastination?
I usually like to work when I feel creative, but if that is not happening I have to remind myself how lucky I am to be spending my time making art. I not only love making work but I need to do it. If I don’t make work for a couple of weeks there is a frustrated energy that builds up and eventually explodes out of me. So it is best to try to work everyday, even if it is only a small amount.
