Rachel is an artist from Glasgow. With a background in creative animation and digital art, she is interested in combining traditional and digital methods of art making. She uses this approach to explore horror and other dark-themes, whilst remaining grounded and influenced by her historical interests. Her exhibited zine, The Mark of the Witch, is the culmination of exploring early and modern print-style art both for its high-contrast impactful appearance, and it’s historical connections to the Scottish witch trials. The zine explores the rising paranoia, the birth of ‘the witch’, and the brutal crusade against the perceived evil that brutalised and killed thousands.

See Rachel’s work as part of our exhibition of work by emerging artists, Starter Pack, curated by gallery intern Hope Reynolds. Starter Pack is many things: it’s a grass roots opportunity for artists to begin, or expand on, their repertoire of exhibitions, to connect with other artists in Glasgow, to further their understanding of working with galleries and curators, and to gain publicity. Starter Pack runs at Six Foot from August 12th to August 26th.

Hi Rachel! Tell us about your artistic background – what is your earliest memory of being interested in art? 
I started out drawing wolves and cats from books I used to read and from there found online art and animation communities that made me excited to create and engage with others. It started out as a hobby and interest in online fandom spaces, but it led me to study Creative Animation which really nurtured an interest in the art world in me and so I continued by studying Computer Arts.

What excites you about your work?
Knowing my work is fully my own is pretty exciting to me. Finding a topic or a feeling or any inspiration and knowing you can go anywhere with it. It’s exciting to be able to be completely selfish and self indulgent in what you research and create. I get excited by the process of planning and ideation when you can get really lost in something without having to edit it yet too.

What is it like to be an emerging artist in today’s climate? 
It’s a bit nerve-wracking with so much uncertainty with the progression of AI. It’s a shared concern of so many artists I know. When the digital platform is the most accessible space to share artwork, there’s also the fear of work being stolen and fed into AI models. I think it’s easy to feel a bit hopeless right now, but I also feel that it has given a new meaning to the creative process and made it feel all the more important and special to experiment and make mistakes. I feel like there will be a lot of interesting art created in response to AI.

How did studying at an institution shape you as an artist? Did the experience impact your work or methods?
Studying art helped me gain a better critical eye and broader awareness of the art world. Having to engage with academic sources and respond in academic writing really helped me find the language I needed to be able to properly discuss art and media. Undertaking academic writing made me more analytical and willing to explore different viewpoints. There were many times I started an essay with a strong opinion that I had to confront and re-evaluate as I researched and read more.

How do you overcome creative blocks? 
I used to try to take breaks where I wouldn’t draw or create but I always found myself coming back to it in some way, and so I realised it was more about reducing pressure and a lack of variety. Changing up the medium helps me, or creating for the sake of it without any expectations of making something out of it or showing anybody else. Letting myself just have some fun and knowing not every idea needs to be the next big project helps ideas come easier for me.

What are you working on right now?
Right now I am finally exploring physical print art, rather than emulating the appearance of it as I did for The Mark of the Witch. Outside of university deadlines, I have had some time to try out linocut printing, as well as other, more experimental print methods and materials. It’s interesting to think of the different challenges I would have faced if I had created lino prints for The Mark of the Witch, and it makes me curious about making a future project this way.

See more of Rachel’s work on Instagram. Starter Pack runs at Six Foot Gallery until Tuesday 26th August 2025.