Rachel Bleil

Rachel’s work focuses on narrative, exploring the journeys and transformations of a variety of hybrid characters based on teddy bears.  She chose teddy bears for their associations with childhood and their ubiquitous, yet supportive presence in our lives.  Each character will have different animal qualities and exist within a specific environment, whether land, sea or sky.  The teddy hybrids have attributes that may help or hinder them in the given environment.  Through the changes that take place within each narrative, she is able to explore and reflect her own journeys of growth, change and adaptation.

The process of sgrafitto on porcelain captivates me.  She finds that the process gives her work a graphic quality, which enhances the narrative.  The subtle variations in line are expressive, while leaving behind a tactile surface texture.