Local artist swaps the Oxo Tower for Rye Harbour

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, 26 March 2024
Local artist swaps the Oxo Tower for Rye Harbour
Rachel painting from a bird hide

By Rachel Spreckley

Local artist, exhibiting in the Discovery Centre

As a family we often visit Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, armed with our camera, binoculars and a paint brush! It’s a wonderfully inspirational place with its diverse birdlife and scenic landscape.

My Father is a ‘twitcher’.  He loves animals, just like me, but birds are his favourite. When I was young most holidays and weekend adventures involved birdwatching in some way or another. My eldest son has inherited his Grandfather’s passion for birds and as a family we love visiting local nature reserves and spotting local wildlife. When I started painting five years ago, I found myself drawn to painting animals, merging my love of wildlife and painting.

Little Egret
Little Egret © Rachel Spreckley

With a past career in fashion design and interiors, I now feel I have found my true calling by expressing the beauty and movement of nature through painting. I predominantly work with the medium of watercolour using a loose, expressive method. Splashes of paint create movement and energy or by incorporating other mediums such as graphite or charcoal, these add another exciting element to my work. In 2023 I was a Finalist in Sketch for Survival 2023. 

Snipe
Snipe © Rachel Spreckley

My painting of a Puffin seen on Skomer Island last Easter was exhibited in Edinburgh and the Oxo Tower, London and then auctioned off, contributing to vital funds raised for animal conservation.  

Puffin
Puffin © Rachel Spreckley

Rachel's artwork is available to buy from the Discovery Centre at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve or you can view more of her work here. 

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