Artist Statement: Rachel Carmichael (Australian Artist)
I am a self-taught artist whose works could be described as ‘Magical Naïve’ or ‘Moody Figurative’. My work often features female figures and anthropomorphic animals and contain a narrative which may be subtle or ambiguous in nature. Characters are frozen in a particular moment in time, preoccupied by a particular emotion which is core to the feel and impact of the finished piece.
My paintings are often obsessed with producing beautiful or tactile surfaces; patterns and ornament to stimulate the eye; and secret narratives to share with the viewer. Small areas may be embellished with gold leaf, coloured foils or highlighted with metallic lustres. Decorative elements are fundamental to the overall design but are rendered loosely and spontaneously.
The goal of each finished piece is to become a magnet that draws the viewer’s eye and causes it to linger. I am trying to create a bond between the artwork and those who are stirred or beguiled by looking in to it.
My work is influenced by Fairy Tales; early 20th century illustrators and cartoonists; Early Modernists such as Klimt, Balthus and the German Expressionists; Paula Rego; Charles Blackman and more recently Italian churches, pop surrealism and the Pandora’s Box that is the Internet.
A Potted History:
I began painting in the early 1990’s when personal circumstances allowed me to engage in developing an art practice and led to the emergence of a style that is both personal and unique.
Throughout the 90’s I exhibited in group shows in multiple galleries, in retail spaces and events (Cornucopia gallery; Seasons gallery; Australian Naïve gallery; Jill Richards gallery; Phillips and Co; Courtyard gallery, Macquarie University; Friends of the Botanical Gardens; Berrima Gallery; Gleneon Art Show/Rudolf Steiner; Hunters Hill Art Show) and large-event craft shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. In the 00’s, as well as exhibiting in regular galleries in Sydney (Gannon House); Queensland (Tiffany Jones Fine Art); and Western Australia (Boranup Gallery/Margaret River); I participated in Sydney/Melbourne Affordable Art shows.
Over the last several decades, I have consistently exhibited and sold work with Gannon House at The Rocks in Sydney, and Tiffany Jones Fine Art in Buderim, Queensland (now, Tiffany Jones/ Fine art Consultant).
This is your bio page. You can edit it in your admin panel.