Rachael is a watercolour artist based in Manchester, UK. Her practice focuses on surreal portraiture, inspired by people themselves: their thoughts, feelings, and shared life experiences. Though she paints portraits, they are rarely based on real individuals. Instead, they act as avatars, each one representing the internal themes she is drawn to explore.

She is fascinated by how each viewing of art is shaped, and often distorted, by the viewer's individual life experiences. The aim of the art is to give the beholder the impetus to create their own stories around it.

 When she’s not painting, Rachael embraces her inner nerd with a deep love for fantasy, horror, and all things strange and otherworldly. She spends much of her time immersed in one of her many hobbies, most of which involve some form of creative gameplay. Her studio is also home to two cats, so every painting comes with a complimentary strand of cat hair.

Upcoming Shows

  • A Strange Kind Of Love

    A bold, multi-arts event presented by 99 Reasons and Chorlton Arts Festival. It invites artists and non-artists alike to explore unusual, unexpected, and unconventional forms of love through a mix of visual art, music, film, and live poetry performance.

    The exhibition opening night will be on Wednesday 21st May, opening at 4pm, with live performances from 7pm.

  • Summer Of Love

    A high-energy celebration of Manchester’s creative spirit, brought to life by New Animals through their signature blend of multi-genre music, art, and joyful chaos. Drawing on the rebellious legacy of past Summer of Love movements, the event channels the power of collective expression and resistance and that history doesn't repeat, but it does rhyme. Reminding us that in hard times, people always find a way to come together.

Recent Shows

  • Awaken: Dreams and Nightmares

    A multi-genre showcase of artists, DJs, photographers, and cross-disciplinary creatives exploring the theme of dreams and nightmares. The event featured surreal art, interactive exhibits, performance pieces, face painting, sensory experiences, and twisted photography—blurring reality with imagination in a bold, immersive celebration of the strange, the beautiful, and the uncanny.

  • Make Your Mark

    A dynamic, interactive takeover exhibition that blurs the line between artist and audience, featuring participatory pieces from the Fruity Frenzy Collective alongside unique individual artworks. Make Your Mark was created with neurodivergence in mind, addressing barriers that can make traditional art spaces feel overwhelming or inaccessible.

  • Reset The System

    Reset the System was a vibrant, all-day event featuring international artists, electronic music, and live art performances. It explored experimental approaches to creativity, blending visual, sonic, and performance-based work. An energetic atmosphere that encouraged bold expression and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Upcoming Publications

  • MÖRK ORG

    Wretched Office Space in a Hopeless Place

    I was commissioned by Beyond Cataclysm Games to create pen and ink illustrations for MÖRK ORG, a surreal, office-themed RPG based on the cult favourite MÖRK BORG system. I brought to life one of their cast of grotesque, absurd, and nightmarish monsters that haunt its bizarre, darkly comic world.

  • FRAGMENTS OF AN UNQUIET MIND

    Exploring the Light and Dark of Mental Health Through Art and Poetry

    My artwork is featured in Mind, an anthology of visual art and poetry exploring themes of self-identity and mental health. Presented in a unique tête-bêche format, the book contrasts uplifting emotions on one side with darker, more fragile reflections on the other—offering a raw and honest look at the human psyche.