RACHEL PADLEY
ARTIST PROFILE

As a child I grew up with art all around me. My father was a Painter, art teacher and historian, my mother a ballet dancer, artist’s model and researcher. Playing with paint and clay or romping around church yards was just part of our everyday lives.

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On leaving school I went to work at St. Paul’s cathedral, training to be a stone carver. To broaden my skills, I decided to complete a degree in fine art at Kennington Art School where I specialised in sculpture.

I travelled around the country working as a conservator of ancient stone monuments, including some in the chapel at Arundel Castle and at Harewood House in Yorkshire.

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I returned to Herefordshire, where marriage and children put an end to my travels, but not to my creative urges. I signed up for a pottery class and now combine my love of throwing pots with my earlier training as a sculptor, producing a wide range of brightly coloured functional pottery, which include bowls , mugs , jugs and vases,  alongside sculptural pieces for the garden. The popular “Green man range” is complemented by the bird baths and fountains.

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I am a member of South Wales Potters and the Hereford Guild of Craftsmen, and I exhibit in galleries in England and Wales.