Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Rachael Allen's work is deeply shaped by the region-damp, moss-covered forests-by decaying wood, shifting light, and the quiet power of natural forms. Growing up in close relationship with these landscapes instilled in her a lasting reverence for nature and for materials that carry time, weather, and use within them.
She has been sculpting and painting throughout her life, with formal training culminating in a BFA and an ongoing studio practice spanning more than four decades. Her work brings ceramics into dialogue with hand-carved and found wood, steel, metal, and concrete, exploring the poetic and spiritual resonance that emerges when materials meet.
Through intuitive gestures and material interplay, her sculptures and paintings invite a sense of wonder, connection, and attentiveness-echoing the rhythms of the natural world that continue to inform both her process and her way of seeing.
"In my studio, I combine ceramics with hand-carved and found wood, steel, metal, and concrete-materials that show signs of time, weather, and use. I'm interested in how these materials relate to one another: how clay rests against wood grain, how steel can support something fragile, how concrete can ground a delicate form. From these relationships, human-like figures and animal forms begin to emerge. They are not meant to tell a specific story, but to feel present-both strong and vulnerable, ancient and alive. |
Media: Ceramics/Pottery | Mixed Media | Sculpture | Wood
Studio Number: 49
Address: 7228 SE Sherman St Portland OR 97215
Community: SE Portland
Accessibility: The front showroom is wheelchair accessible but the backyard and studio portion is not
Email: rachaeldawnallen@gmail.com
Website: RachaelAllenArt.com
Instagram: @rachaelallenfineart
