Position One
2023
Acrylic and Oil Stick on Unstretched Canvas, 187cm x 124cm
Through collage Rachel aims to convey visually different energies of particular places. By layering information from historical maps, social history, natural history and contemporary visual references and removing sections to reveal voids, traces and fragments, Rachel attempts to make visible information maps omit; environments, lifeforms that are long gone but seem to have an ongoing presence.
Map 8 developed out of a section on a collaged map of Cork City. An area relating to the North Channel of the River Lee, referencing the North Mall, marsh land and the site of a former distillery. Rachel took this section as a starting point for a large-scale painting. Initially the work was focused on the vegetation on the river bank. By the final layer the manufacturing history of this place began to emerge, obscuring previous information. The red grid box is a recurring shape in her work, referencing map making symbols.
Rachel Walsh is a Cork born artist. She graduated from Crawford College of Art and Design in 1995 with a B.A. in Fine Art. After a long gap in art practice she returned to education in 2018 to study Illustration and Graphic Design at St John's Central College. Wanting to physically build characters and environments led to CIT's Creativity and Change course in 2019 after which Cork City became her central subject matter.
She makes collaged maps of Cork City on paper, enlarging and developing sections of the maps into mixed media pieces out of which environments, creatures and characters emerge. Belonging and a sense of place are recurring themes. She has been a member of Sample-Studios since 2021.
