Rachel Ryan Irish artist, Waterford

Irish artist Rachel Ryan, Waterford

From a very young age painting and drawing has always been a huge part of Rachel's life, even when she was busy raising a family and working, the creative side of her personality was always present. Having worked in different areas of design, media and as a CAD technician in the engineering field.

Towards the end of 2012 Rachel held her first ever solo exhibition in Waterford City Library, the wonderful response to her work gave her the heart and confidence to continue on this journey. Since then Rachel has exhibited artwork at a number of venues including the Dungarvan Arts Centre, Kilkenny Arts Week, Greenacres Wexford, Tramore Arts Centre and Gowan Park.

Rachel's subject matter over the years has been extremely varied from portraiture, landscapes, wildlife, still life, architecture and one of her favourite subjects race horses. However in recent times she have tried to show more of a consistency in her style and subject matter of the work she produces. By starting to create a series of works has helped Rachel to focus the mind and created a natural flow to her painting.

Watercolour is Rachel's first love, delicate brushstrokes that can produce such detail. However in recent years the oil paint has certainly turned her head, the ability to work the paint on the canvas, the rich colour and depth that can be achieved has been a whole new challenge and learning experience.