Creative Places Tuam is delighted to present the Tuam Artist Spotlight, a rolling programme celebrating the artists, makers, musicians, performers, writers, filmmakers, creatives and cultural contributors living and working in Tuam and its surrounding areas.
The Tuam Artist Spotlight features a two-week public display in the windows of Connaughtons on Shop Street, an online Artist Spotlight profile shared across Creative Places Tuam’s website and social media channels, and a fun and informative artist interview, which you can read below.
Our first Artist Spotlight is on Rachel Varden.
Get to know Rachel and her artistic practice:
I paint to make sense of me (my experiences and the relationships that have shaped me). Working intuitively, I use painting and drawing to explore memory, emotion, and identity through narratives that begin in my own life but remain open to wider interpretation.
My practice is driven by instinct, allowing images to emerge from the subconscious through quick, fluid brushstrokes, cartoon-like figures, primitive forms, and unexpected colour combinations. These recurring characters and symbols create an evolving visual language that reflects both personal experience and shared human emotions.
I am fascinated by history and early visual cultures, particularly their use of symbolism and storytelling. My current work draws inspiration from the Bayeux Tapestry, whose continuous narrative and symbolic imagery provide a framework for my own paintings. Rather than illustrating history, I borrow from its visual language to weave together observation, memory, and imagination.
By combining playful imagery with emotionally complex themes, I challenge traditional distinctions between popular culture and fine art. I hope my work invites viewers to discover their own stories within paintings that are at once personal, instinctive, and open-ended.
What is your connection to Tuam?
I’m from Tuam, a Sham, living my whole life here except for several years in the nineties where I spent time in Denmark.
Any current projects or ambitions?
I am heading to Assisi, Italy, for a two-week residency at the Lodestar Artist Residency, where I will continue developing my practice through painting, drawing, and the exploration of new ideas for an upcoming exhibition at K-Visual, Kilorglin, Co. Kerry, in September.
Quick-fire questions with Rachel:
Describe your creative practice in three words.
Truth, distinct, intuitive
What is one thing you can’t work without?
Music
If your creative work had a soundtrack, what would be playing?
‘Psycho Killer’ Talking Heads
What’s the most underrated thing about Tuam?
It’s the amount of talent that has come from Tuam – musicians, playwrights, artists.
If you could put one piece of art anywhere in town, where would it go?
The Square.
What is your completely useless talent?
Observation
What food could you eat every day?
Danish Pastry
What song are you currently obsessed with?
Keep your Lights On’ Santana & Everlast
What does success look like to you?
For me, success is found in doing what I love and feeling content with what I create. The ability to communicate through my paintings, and for someone to occasionally connect with the work on a deeper level and truly understand it, is the most meaningful reward.
What talent would you most like to have?
To be musical.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Be confident in what you do and believe.
What do you wish people understood about artists?
I believe artists often have a different way of seeing the world. They look beyond the surface, question what is around them, and through their work explore the deeper emotions, experiences, and connections that make us human.
If your art practice was an animal, what would it be?
It would have to be a dog – ‘child of goodness’.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Do you!
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- Image and work: Rachel Varden
