Rachael Singleton

Artist

I am an experimental textile and mixed media artist living in West Yorkshire, England. I have never taken formal art education but have been a maker all my life, growing up in a family who always had something on the go!
I love bringing together materials in work and the chase of an idea. All this leads me to make one-off pieces or very small series. The natural world is a constant source of enchantment where I’m often drawn to smaller objects and elements. I create in textiles and paint, layering both together and building complex surfaces. I use a lot of wet-strength tissues to layer and add depth, printing with a gel plate or adding hand-written text or stamped patterns to them. I also prefer to use natural fabrics and I have a collection of vintage fabrics and papers collected from my local market, family and friends and secondhand shops. Since the pandemic, I have hand-stitched more and more, finding it a comforting occupation for my hands of an evening when my energy is low, however, I do use a machine as needed. Having recently retired, there has been more time to enjoy abstract and mixed media painting; whilst my textiles employ a more muted palette, I’m finding brighter colours want to make themselves known in paintings. I recognise this as a reflection of the two sides of myself. I have a saying that my work ‘gets what it needs’ at the time and I’m very happy swapping about with materials and techniques to help an idea come alive.
Pieces are often small, or if larger, are the combination of smaller elements. I have a preoccupation with stones and stone walls, as well as containment and housing of objects.
The creative process interests me deeply and its something I often write about on my blog or use in coaching conversations.