Rachel Sim

Rachel creates collections that are playful, enjoyable and handcrafted using sustainable wood, paper and ink.

Each collection uses printmaking processes with balanced colour combinations and bold shapes to create simple objects to wear or inspire at home.

Rachel trained in Visual Communication at both The Royal College of Art and at Edinburgh College of Art. She has been exploring and developing her practice for 10 years. After working on creative commissions with clients such as Random House, Artists and Illustrators and Granta Magazine, Rachel moved to Yorkshire and set up her own studio in 2013.

After growing up in a small fishing village on the North East coast of Scotland, Rachel continues to be inspired by the textures and colours of the sea. Since moving to Yorkshire, her local surroundings including the Yorkshire mills and industrial buildings alongside her travels all contribute to her practice.

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How did you get into printmaking?

After I graduated from my degree at Edinburgh college of Art I was looking for a creative space to be involved in, I found Dundee contemporary Arts and became a member of their print studio.

I enjoyed that printmaking felt like an extension of the drawing practice I had developed while studying and I was lucky to be awarded Scottish Arts council funding to take courses and explore many printmaking techniques. I fell in love with the processes and different outcomes that can be achieved.

How has your practice evolved along the way?

I feel my practice has had many different outcomes over the years and yet has always had drawing and printmaking at the core.

I studied animation for my degree and then I was more focused on illustration work during and after my masters degree in London.

When I moved to Yorkshire and set up my studio I purposely wanted to create a space to focus on less commercial work and develop a practice with a printmaking focus, making playful products and prints. I enjoy that my practice always feels like a work in progress with more to explore and learn.

Describe your aesthetic in five words:

Graphic

Detailed

Considered

Bold

Colourful

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

I grew up in a small fishing village in Scotland and still spend a lot of time there, the colours and textures of the shoreline and sea constantly feed into my work.

Much of my inspiration also comes from places that I visit in Yorkshire such as National Trust properties and formal gardens. I love walking, making sketches and taking photos of interesting colour combinations and little details.

What do you love to do when you’re not creating?

I run and deliver workshops for families and schools which I find is a really great companion to my own practice. I work as a creative practitioner at The Hepworth in Wakefield where I live.

I also have a daughter Rosie who is 4, we love a good day trip to a new place or city and we can often be found in the local park hunting for bugs, beetles and butterflies.