Hi and welcome. My name is Rachel and I am the owner and artist here at Akers of Art.
I specialise in wire sculptures either in a frame to hang on your wall or free form.
I draw my
inspiration from my home town of Birmingham but also my travels all over the
world. Having lived in New Zealand for 8 years, spending 6 months of my
university time on an exchange in Connecticut USA and many travels in Europe
and worldwide.
I find, in
cities, the juxtaposition of architecture to green spaces quite beautiful, it
is surprising how much woodland is still left untouched in a big city like Birmingham.
There are some incredible new and unique buildings going up all around the city
but also some stunning old buildings. Dotted between these buildings you will
always find trees and plants to keep us all in touch with nature. This is true
in many big cities around the world, like Auckland in New Zealand, Sydney in
Australia and Barcelona in Spain. I could go on. There are so many stunning unique
architectural and natural combinations in these places. It is easy to create
wonderful artwork with all this inspiration, much of it on my doorstep.
In my
sculptures I use various thicknesses and colours of wire and semi-precious gemstones to
create bespoke and unusual pieces that are fluid and winding like a beautiful
tree but also have the rigidity and structure of the angular frame like the
architecture I see all around me. I manipulate the wire into the form of the
tree trunk and branches so each piece is unique. I don’t always use a frame and
let the tree flow naturally into unusual forms. I love the use of the wire to
create the wood like texture and when the light bounces off the metal and
gemstones it creates an ethereal like quality.
The tree of
life that I commonly use in my sculptures is a symbol of personal development
and growth. It represents a feeling of togetherness and that feeling that you
are not alone. The roots dig deep into the earth that grounds us and the branches
reach high up into the sky taking energy from the sun and the moon. It also
symbolises our ancestry and family and the bonds that we have with them.
Trees in
themselves represent strength and resilience as they stand tall, to weather a
storm but each one is unique and individual, not one of them the same,
representing the unique part each one of us takes in the world.
I also use many beautiful semi precious gemstones in my work, each
believed to have their own healing properties.
