Two Isle of Wight artists, Rachel Clare and Teresa Grimaldi, are collaborating to open a new venue in Bonchurch as part of this year’s Open Studios.
A meeting of practices
The two artists bring complementary practices to the collaboration – Rachel’s work with found materials and collage sitting alongside Teresa’s background in puppetry, animation and visual performance – with the historic setting of the Bonchurch venue providing a backdrop that both are responding to in their work.
Rachel Clare
Rachel Clare has spent the last seven years combining drawing and collage using discarded and found materials – among them 1960’s newspapers discovered under old carpets, brown paper bags from vegetable market stalls, and old school exercise books.
These everyday materials, combined with graphite and glue, take the human form towards a textural abstraction.
Rachel honed her current work under artist Francis Bowyer – who taught at the Royal Academy Schools and is a member of the New English Art Club – at Richmond Art School, and these days regularly attends the Ventnor Life Drawing Group.
Her earliest memories of creating with debris stretch back to her childhood in Mandeville, Jamaica, where she collected blue cotton starch bags and blown geranium petals to play with under the steps of her home.
A career combining theatre and art
Rachel originally studied Theatre at Manchester University, followed by a postgraduate qualification in Theatre Design, and has since built a career programming and producing UK and international visual theatre alongside her own artwork.
During a second degree in Contemporary Arts Practice at John Cass School of Art in London, she began combining found and charity shop objects with printmaking, assemblage and mixed media collage to create visual stories.
She now serves as Artistic Director of Crying Out Loud, a visual theatre production company based in Portsmouth, and has lived on the Isle of Wight since 2023.
Teresa Grimaldi
Teresa Grimaldi was born on the Isle of Wight into a family of ice cream vendors and studied a degree in Theatre Design before going on to gain a Puppetry postgraduate diploma at the Central School of Speech and Drama and an MA in Visual Performance at Dartington College of Arts.
Teresa’s work has appeared in galleries, theatres and journals internationally, with group and solo shows in the UK, Norway and Italy, and she held her first major UK solo show at Quay Arts on the Isle of Wight in 2009.
Arts Council England has supported her in developing her animation practice and more recently Teresa has been artist in residence at Boojum and Snark in Sandown developing work around the folklore of All Colours Sam, the Sandown Clown.
Earlier this year, Teresa exhibited alongside Sarah Vardy in the West Gallery at Quay Arts in Newport.
“Curious conversations”
Teresa said,
“I’m thrilled to be collaborating with Rachel this year.
“It’s proving to be a very interesting process, bringing existing works through the tunnel to rework in response to the historic surroundings.
“New curious conversations are evolving between creatures, cabinets, collage and creaking stairs.”
Where and when
You can see Rachel and Teresa’s work at 2 Undermount, Bonchurch. No car access except for limited disabled parking if arranged in advance.
Enter the driveway by walking or wheeling by Undermount Lodge (Bonchurch Village Road), through the tunnel and then turn left.
Visit daily between 11am and 4pm on 15th, 16th, 17th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th May.
An evening event on Friday 22nd May takes place between 6pm-8pm.
Hosting an Open Studios event? Let Islanders know – get in touch about OnTheWight’s well-priced promotion packages.
Our thanks to the artists for sponsoring this feature. They and other businesses and organisations taking paid promotion enables you to continue reading OnTheWight for free.
