Rachel O’Connell is a multi-media marbling artist, leatherworker and an educator, with over 30 years marbling experience. She is self taught and has worked with artists all over the world, learning her craft in a creative environment. She trained in leatherwork over 15 years ago for upholstery and began marbling on leather over a decade ago. Marbling on paper, wood and natural textiles, Rachel combines her heritage skills with a contemporary design aesthetic, to create marbled textile art for homewares, stationery and wearable art. Rachel launched her sustainable brand, ROCWORX® in 2021 and has since exhibited and sold work in Manchester Art Gallery, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Brantwood Museum, Weald and Downland Museum, The British Museum, Thelma Hulbert Gallery and MAKE Southwest. Rachel works with sustainable natural materials, handmade papers and repurposed synthetic textiles. Items are made to order, with items shipped within 3-4 weeks from order to customers and 6-8 weeks to trade. She also works on commission to conserve leather items and design to a client's brief. Rachel is a sustainable maker, working to being net zero aligned. With a zero-waste philosophy, Rachel has a circular design range, using offcuts and repurposed marbled leather to create jewellery and accessories. She works with businesses to repurpose their textiles and is currently working with theatrical textiles and ballet slippers received from the Royal Ballet and Opera, with some of the sales proceeds going to the food bank charity, Trussell Trust. Rachel tutors marbling across the UK in schools, community groups, museums and galleries. She is a tutor with West Dean College, Oxford Summer School, The National Trust Heritage and Skills Centre and with the educational charity, The Creative Dimension Trust. She tutors at MAKE Southwest for Arts Council’s National Saturday Club, as well as demonstrating with Endangered Heritage Crafts and at Craft Festival. She offers a range of workshops in marbling, bookbinding, soft furnishings and leatherwork for adults, community groups, schools and families. Rachel is a member of ACID・Blue Patch・Crafts Council ・Devon Artist Network・Find-a-Maker (Craft Festival)・Green Makers Initiative・Heritage Crafts ・Leather UK ・MAKE Southwest
Creating marbling on textiles, paper and wood for the home and to wear. Commissions always welcome.
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Opens Tuesday at 10:00
Rachel O'Connell is a multi-media marbling artist and an educator, with over 30 years marbling experience. She trained in leatherwork over 15 years ago for upholstery and began marbling on leather over a decade ago. She marbles patterns on paper, wood and natural textiles, including leather. She launched her sustainable brand, ROCWORX® in 2021 has since exhibited and sold work in Brantwood Museum, Craft Festival, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, MAKE Southwest, Thelma Hilbert Gallery, The British Museum, and Weald and Downland Museum. With a background in interior design, and love for textile art, Rachel combines her heritage skills with a contemporary design aesthetic to create unique marbled textile art for homewares, stationery and wearable art. Her work is sold in galleries and independent retailers in the South West and in national museums. Rachel works on commission to conserve leather items and designs to clients brief.
Rachel is a sustainable maker, working to being net zero aligned. With a no waste philosophy, Rachel has created a circular design range, marbling repurposed ballet slipper leather, received from Royal Ballet and Opera, as well as offcut marbled leather from her journals to create jewellery and accessories. Proceeds from sales are sent to the food bank charity, Trussel Trust. Each item is hand-crafted, using traditional tools, heritage-craft techniques and responsibly sourced materials for provenance and environment impact. Materials are often by-products of other industries, or made from recycled materials, repurposed, offering an eco-conscious and environmental solution to landfill waste. Valuing the life given, the leather goods are designed with consideration, using as much of the hide as possible, with smallest amounts being composted or added into hand made paper. Leather is branded to assure authentic, British craftsmanship. Marbling is an endangered heritage craft, on the Heritage Crafts 'Endangered Crafts Red List' Rachel is one of less than 20 professional marbling artists in the UK and one of 2 professional artists who marble on textiles.
Rachel is making progress with carbon auditing through Blue Patch's Let's Do Net Zero programme. She is also attending the Naturesave Sustainability Service with support from the environmental consultancy Positive Impacts. Rachel uses green packaging, manufactured in the UK or recycles received packaging, saving it from landfill. Her items are carefully wrapped in acid free tissue, then cardboard roll, box or bubble paper and finally in water-resistant waxed paper. Rachel uses hand made paper, linen or recycled satin ribbons and hand made gift cards for her gift wrapping service. A portion of her profits goes towards charity and a local tree planting event each year.
Rachel is extending her knowledge for the craft of hand made paper, so that she can recycle her textiles and paper into this product. She is researching the use of plants for dyes for her fabrics. Rachel is also working on filtration design to be able to filter her paints and marbling water in a less manual way, using lime to capture paints. Her inks are plant based, using tree resin and she working with a plant based paint company to create a range of paints stubble for marbling and craft.
We were amazed by the delicacy of this work. Each piece is original in colour and design. Lovely gift. Thank you.
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