Born 4th October 1971, in Harlow, Essex.
Rachel is a jeweller that specialises in drawing on enamel. She works from her home studio in South Yorkshire, combining family life with work life. Her work explores the beautiful tonal qualities of graphite pencils and powder on the surface of white enamel. Her pieces have been described as wearable art.
Rachel is a self-confessed doodler and mark maker inspired by the textures and repetitive patterns found in everyday mundane things. Her design process always starts with a drawn pattern or texture and the jewellery design develops from this. She loves the way a pencil line can express emotions, from a chaotic spontaneous scribble to a more considered and deliberate repetitive pattern. The graphite powder produces atmospheric painterly qualities, Rachel often uses her fingers to apply this directly to the surface of the enamel which can sometimes leave fingerprints. The hand drawn nature of her work allows a direct connection with the wearer.
Brown learnt traditional enamelling techniques at university but didn’t enjoy the preciseness of them and as a student whose wardrobe consisted of various shades of black the colourful enamels were a step too far. She revisited enamelling when she was teaching and investigations into the processes and techniques led her to discover drawing on enamel. Brown liked the simplicity of the technique and started experimenting with different types of drawing materials and different ways to apply them.
This process allows her to continue her love of drawing from her sketchbooks through to the surface of the enamel. Each piece of jewellery is a one-off, no two pieces are alike.
