Used, Found, Worn, Significant. These are the titles given to collections of paintings by Rachel Ross. I was introduced to her work by a friend last year.
Rachel Ross is an Edinburgh based artist. Her compositions encapsulate thoughts and memories suggested by the placement and intrinsic beauty of seemingly mundane objects.
I am drawn to the ordinary possessions of other people from past generations. Letters, notebooks, ribbons, keys – these all represent unknown lives and stories of their own. They speak to us and make a connection through time. My subjects have become worn through use and handling, whether a pair of shoes, a scratched spoon or a yellowed letter. Some might have been valued while others were barely noticed. All have made it to me. My work is both an appreciation of the objects as they are – their form, colour and patina – and also what they might represent to artist and viewer.
I’d never heard of Rachel Ross or seen her paintings before, but as I spoke about my jewellery and how I love working with antique silverware, a book of her work was pulled down from the shelf and I was introduced to her exquisitely detailed paintings of cutlery (and other items).
I love her use of light and the inclusion of detailed reflections, often including herself.
