I was extremely shy in secondary school, to the point where I wouldn’t say a word in class for fear of turning red in front of everyone (shock horror!) I found my escapism through art. When I was painting, I felt free of my anxiety and flourished in my art lessons. I had an excellent art teacher at school, who always encouraged me and all I ever wanted to do in school was paint.
I graduated from UCA Rochester with a degree in Fashion Textiles: Print, I adored the course as it allowed me to draw lots and I got to learn lots of new processes, but I didn’t really resonate with the fashion industry and it’s ever changing trends. I fell away from art and design for a while and had various opportunities to travel.
I went to be an au pair in Spain and from then on started my journey into teaching. I then went on to teach English in China too. Upon returning home I realised I could combine my love of teaching with art and became a secondary school art teacher. I wanted my classes to be an escape for those students who felt lost at school.
After 3 years of this I felt the travel bug calling again so I persuaded my partner to come with me to New Zealand, where we did a year working holiday. This trip allowed me to reconnect with nature and my creativity and gave me the time to paint more often.
Today, I am combining my love of making art and teaching, and putting all of my attention into starting my art business. I am running art workshops and am producing and selling my artwork, this is what I love doing, so I am more than ready to share my passion with the world!
Rachel Ann Studio 