Originally from Berkshire and after taking an art foundation course at Leicester University, Rachel traveled north to study Fine Art at the University of Northumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne. She returned there more recently for a Masters Degree in Fine Art and Education. She has worked as both artist and educator in North Cumbria and, concentrating now on her own artwork, she uses nature and the land, particularly that of the North Pennine Fells as a constant source of inspiration. Using references from prehistory, science and the natural world, she explores that which is ephemeral and transient, recording small finds and natural events that act as echoes from the past or signposts to the future.