Featured Artist: Rachel Urquhart of PonyGold

Rachel Urquhart is an illustrator we have been working with for a number of years now, printing her ever popular edition prints. Her work is inspired by all things natural and has a strong free bohemian feel to it. Rachel has an impressive instagram following and is currently an ambassador for clothing label Volcom.

Title / Occupation:
My day job is actually as a magazine journalist, but I moonlight as an illustrator in every other spare minute.

Where are you based?
Melbourne, but I’m originally from the mid-north coast of NSW.

How long have you been illustrating for?
I’ve always played around with drawing and painting, but have only really taken it seriously – and started working on commercial jobs – for the past three years, since moving to Melbourne.

Education and background:
I’m mostly self-taught as an illustrator – I studied journalism at university (and am still wondering why!).

Creative influences?
Growing up on a farm in rural NSW had a big influence on my work, both on the content (I spent a lot of time wandering through bushland collecting feathers, rocks, bones, flowers, leaves…) and on my creativity and work ethic (there was no reliable internet, no other kids within walking distance, a fairly strict policing of television intake, and a total ban on video games… so I was always either drawing/making things, running around outside, or running around outside making things). Also, my dad is a leather and wood worker; he taught me a lot about patience, practice and how to fix things using only twine and some polyethylene pipe.

Describe your working environment:
It usually involves paper, pens and paint strewn from one end of the lounge room to the other – I don’t really have a dedicated workspace – much to the dismay of my housemates. There’s usually also an awful crime show or 90s teen movie playing in the background.

Favourite technique?
I love working on clean-line ink illustrations with plain old black fineliners… but I also like making a scratchy mess with graphite and paint pens.

Favourite tool of the trade?
Unipin fineliners (0.1 and 0.3) and Posca pens.

Who inspires you?
Melbourne-based artists Two one and Miso are my favourites, but words by Cormac McCarthy or sounds by Townes Van Zandt work just as well for inspiration too.

What’s next?
My first solo exhibition at Southset gallery in Moorabbin closed on May 31st, so after that I’ll have to think about what’s next… In the short term, I have a few exciting graphic projects coming up with local and international clothing brands, and hopefully I can dedicate a bit more time to personal illustration projects and future shows.

www.ponygold.blogspot.com
Twitter & Instagram: @raychponygold