Rachel Sedman | Atmospheric Abstract Artist.
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Meet Rachel Sedman
In this interview, Mark created Rachel Sedman's fantasy cultural year from the answers to some easy questions to which there are no wrong answers.
Mark had a time machine and magic wand at his disposal, so expect some surprises, laughs, anecdotes and conversational detours.
What does silence look like? Can a room have a sound of its own, even when nobody is speaking? And if you could turn a piece of music into a painting, what would appear on the canvas?
These are the sorts of questions that sit at the heart of Rachel Sedman's artistic practice. A contemporary abstract painter working under the name A Book of Songs, Rachel explores the relationship between sound, feeling, memory and visual experience. Her work begins with listening and ends somewhere rather more difficult to put into words: a painting that captures something you might recognise emotionally, even if you cannot quite explain why.
Based in the north of England, Rachel works primarily in oil painting, creating both large-scale statement pieces and smaller, more intimate works. She also has experience in sound installations, bringing another dimension to an artistic practice that has never been particularly interested in keeping the senses in separate boxes.
With a background in 3D design and Fine Art, Rachel approaches painting intuitively. Rather than attempting to illustrate a particular sound or produce a literal visual representation of music, she explores what it feels like. A piece of music might provide the starting point, but so might silence, the atmosphere of a particular environment, the quality of light or the subtle presence of a room.
Think of the difference between looking at a photograph of a concert and remembering how the music actually made you feel. One records what happened; the other brings back an experience. Rachel's work is interested in that second territory.
There is an emphasis on atmosphere, texture and the relationship between a painting and the space it occupies. Her work considers the resonance of light, the geometry of an environment and the emotional qualities of stillness. A painting might be bold and expansive, or quieter and more restrained, but the intention is to create something that contributes to the experience of being in a space rather than simply decorating it.
This makes her work particularly interesting in the context of contemporary architecture and interior design. Rachel's paintings are suited to considered residential interiors, hotels, galleries and architectural environments where art is expected to do more than fill an empty wall. A work might establish the character of a room, create a visual anchor or encourage someone to pause and experience their surroundings differently.
Her artistic influences include the monumental sculptural forms of Spanish artist Eduardo Chillida and the distinctive, organic visual language of American painter Georgia O'Keeffe. Both offer interesting points of connection with Rachel's own interests: the relationship between form and space, the expressive possibilities of abstraction and the ability of an artwork to carry a sense of presence without needing to explain itself.
Her current collection, The Resonance of Presence, develops these ideas through a series of atmospheric abstract paintings. It is an invitation to stillness and closer attention, particularly within modern architectural spaces. Rather than demanding that the viewer understand a particular story, the paintings leave room for individual interpretation. They can be experienced in their own right, with the viewer bringing their own memories, associations and responses.
Rachel's work has already found homes with private collectors in the UK and internationally. Alongside original paintings, she works with collectors, art and film consultants and interior architects on commissions and licensing opportunities. This allows her practice to extend beyond the traditional gallery setting, bringing original artwork into environments where the relationship between art, architecture and atmosphere is especially important.
There is also a more intimate, accessible side to A Book of Songs. Rachel's Field Notes project explores the idea of slow living and the pleasure of receiving something thoughtfully made through the post. It brings together small-format artwork, music, storytelling and scent in a monthly creative experience.
Each edition offers a signed artwork, a connection to a piece of music and an accompanying story. The experience also incorporates hand-blended essential oil products, giving subscribers the opportunity to engage with the work through more than just sight and sound.
Painting, music, movement, scent and architecture might appear to occupy separate creative territories, but her work explores the connections between them.
Through A Book of Songs, Rachel Sedman continues to explore how abstract painting can shape the atmosphere of a space and give form to experiences that are not always easy to describe. Her work offers an alternative way of thinking about contemporary art: not simply as something to look at, but as something to spend time with, respond to and experience.
Whether through an original oil painting, a bespoke commission or a small piece of artwork arriving through the letterbox, the invitation remains much the same.
Slow down, listen and see what you notice.
Rachel Sedman is currently welcoming enquiries about original artwork, commissions and licensing through A Book of Songs.
Examples of Rachel Sedman's work
Rachel Sedman's Fantasy Cultural Year ... with a magic wand and a time machine to hand.
Every Arts and Culture Network member is invited to embark on a Fantasy Cultural Year—an imaginary twelve-month journey designed around their passions, curiosity and imagination.
Before setting off on her travels, Rachel finds herself at the Eames House in California, a building she has long wanted to visit. It is six o'clock on a June evening. Having enjoyed a tour of the house, she settles down with a cup of earthy, caffeine-free rooibos tea and a copy of Rick Rubin's The Creative Act: A Way of Being.
It is a suitably relaxed beginning to a year that promises to be anything but ordinary. The Eames House provides an architectural setting for thinking about the relationship between design, creativity and the spaces we inhabit.
A meeting with a Californian family foundation soon changes the scale of the adventure. They want Rachel to travel internationally, exploring famous places and creating artistic responses through painting, music and scent. There is a book deal, a documentary crew, a TED Talk and an international university lecture tour waiting at the end.
The journey begins with a first-class flight, naturally, to New Mexico, accompanied by another cup of rooibos tea and a musical challenge from the foundation. For the next twelve months, she must listen exclusively to one musical genre. Her choice? Jazz, particularly the work and sound world of Alice Coltrane.
From the desert landscape, the journey moves to Mexico City, where a group of young artists welcome her into an apartment overlooking the city. The cultural programme begins with dance, combining Ballet Rambert's contemporary dance language with Lindy Hop. Movement, rhythm and physical expression come together in a performance that feels entirely at home within Rachel's wider artistic interests.
Dinner follows, with Japanese cuisine chosen for the occasion.
Next stop is Barcelona. This time, the cultural focus is sport and Rachel chooses rhythmic gymnastics, a discipline in which movement, music, timing and visual composition are all part of the performance.
For an artist interested in how sound and movement can be translated into visual forms, it is an opportunity to look at the body as another instrument of creative communication.
From Barcelona, Rachel heads east to Tokyo. Here, a futuristic digital gallery offers something that would make most art lovers rather jealous. Visitors can put on a virtual reality headset and step directly inside the work of a famous artist. The paintings and sculptures become three-dimensional environments. Instead of standing in front of an artwork, visitors can walk around within it, experiencing movement, sound and space from the inside.
Rachel's choice is Spanish sculptor Eduardo Chillida. His monumental forms and exploration of space offer an especially interesting connection with her own artistic practice. The opportunity to experience his work from every angle would provide a new way of considering how form, material and atmosphere influence the viewer.
After the international adventure, Rachel returns to London for a week of cultural outings with Mark.
Monday begins with a trip back in time to Woodstock in 1969. Rachel would have loved to experience the festival, with its remarkable gathering of musicians and performers, including Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana.
Tuesday takes a theatrical turn. The choice is Shakespeare's Macbeth, particularly for the wildness of its witches. There is even a brief lesson in theatrical superstition, with Mark introducing the alternative name, the Scottish play.
Wednesday brings the West End premiere of Les Misérables. Rachel admits she has never actually seen it, although hearing some of the music has persuaded her that she might have been missing out. A first-night performance seems a reasonable way to put that right.
Thursday belongs to ballet. Rachel chooses Swan Lake, but not just any production. Matthew Bourne's distinctive all-male version gets the invitation.
Finally, Friday takes the pair across the Atlantic to the Sphere in Las Vegas.
This extraordinary entertainment venue offers a screen and auditorium on a scale that makes an ordinary cinema look rather modest. The final choice is Monsieur Hulot's Holiday, reimagined for the enormous screen.
Before the adventure is complete, there is one final invitation. Rachel is given the opportunity to have a leisurely two-hour lunch in London with anyone she chooses, living or dead. Her guest is American artist Georgia O'Keeffe.
It is an inspired choice for someone whose practice is concerned with atmosphere, abstraction, natural forms and the expressive possibilities of painting. The lunch takes place at a Japanese restaurant, with plenty of time for conversation. What would two artists from different generations discuss? Perhaps the relationship between landscape and abstraction, the experience of working independently, or how to translate the natural world into something deeply personal.
There is one final twist. Mark asks Rachel who Georgia O'Keeffe might invite if she could choose her own lunch companion.
Rachel suggests the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt. Mark offers John Constable and Pablo Picasso as alternative possibilities.
It is a lovely way to finish: a table full of artists, different perspectives and probably enough creative conversation to keep everyone occupied long after the tea has gone cold.
Rachel Sedman's contact details.
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Mark Walmsley FRSA FCIM AGSM
Chief Culture Vulture
Arts & Culture Network
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