This week, we’re featuring the artwork of Rachel Ashenden, a second year English student…
“Currently I am filling a sketchbook with pencil portraits of people that have inspired me. The pages alternate between drawings of loved ones to famous figures. Both sets of figures have had integral influence on my development. This side-project is extremely different from the themes I’ve worked with in the past. I started painting when I was learning a mile a minute. My first art project was dedicated to gender-subverting artworks of Adam and Eve, to refute the biblical story as a justification for misogyny. My favourite is my painting of Jimmy Savile disguised as the pope, when it was revealed he was a paedophile; it was a critique of the corruption hidden behind Catholicism. Recently the themes of my work have mellowed out. I was commissioned to paint a trio of Venice landscapes, and to replicate a Lempicka. Regardless of the subject, I find that vibrant acrylic works best.”
Pencil on paper
Acrylic on paper
