The Gorgeous Somethings

About

My name is Naomi Louise Rae B.A.(Hons) PG Dip, M.Sc. and I have lived within the Lancaster and Morecambe area for most of my life. I was born and was raised here and after leaving Ripley C of E Secondary School, Lancaster. After leaving Lancaster and Morecambe College I lived in the South of England for many years during this time I studied my first degree in Art and Design. On completion of my degree my designs featured in Vogue and many interior design magazines and during this time I held contemporary art shows around the country.
After this I moved back to Lancaster to focus on further training to enable me to work therapeutically with people and have been in this field since then. As part of this journey has been my own relationship with expression and words. I am dyslexic and this has been a major part of my life's journey. Struggling with words and writing at primary school along with and innate determination to achieve and belong.
Led to a lifelong engagement with learning and academia developing my skills and capacity to write and express myself. My relationship to the education system has been an interesting journey of its own having experienced schools, colleges, Universities and their teachers both as a pupil, student and learner but also as a member within their teams. I have been fortunate enough to have met and had teachers who were able to see me and support me to achieve. Most importantly valued me, saw me and encouraged me to help myself to achieve even in the face of being dyslexic. I will never forget the moment when I thought I had failed my essay and was waiting for my teacher along with the pending doom of a resit. How delighted and excited was to discover I had achieved a first for my essay at University. This was a pivotal moment as this had been a very long journey of struggle and it meant a great deal to me to have achieved this.
My understanding and observations of how neurodiversity is understood or not through lack of understanding, education and or empathy within the education system still has many gaps and there is still a real lack of appreciation of the challenges that impact upon a person with learning needs. This of course is well documented. Fortunately, there is still is a commitment to research to help make better sense and understand within education systems. However, even so it is still an environment that is still lacking in understanding and is still failing people, shaming them and still holding the written word as the most valuable of which identify is formed or celebrated.
The writing and poetry of Emily Dickinson has been an inspiration to me particularly her book called The Gorgeous Nothings'; Being dyslexic and finding your voice can be difficult to do but i have found my way both through the therapeutic, creative and dedication to what I love.
My art work presented here is inspired by living life, embracing the real day to day engagement of living both internally and externally. My work explores and expresses what this means for myself as an individual, but also it represents the interactive nature of living life with others in our shared world. I enjoy the creative process and the ongoing dialogue with humanity. The artworks that are shown here are moments in time which hold illustrations of entering into the alchemical, creative process. They are expressions of this journey as it unfolds and are expressed as both magical realism and surrealism.
Often exploring the themes of feminism and rebellion, surrealism, and included at times social commentary on areas such as narcissism, oppression, conformity and conventional perceptions.
Using the delights of the creative process to express and include joy and imagination along with the mystical and philosophical. This blend of creativity and critique is designed to shape contemporary discussions about identity, power and the human experience.
These artworks are an invitation and to you as the viewer to join with me in the imaginative process to participate in these small worlds with the invitation to share with me what story in viewing do they tell for you?
If you wish to share with me what story has emerged for you through viewing these works, I am interested and would love to hear. Please send to me via email below.
My background over the last 30 years is within the arts along with being a Registered Counsellor & Psychotherapist using my skills to support the development and understanding of our internal and external world and the journey of making meaning from our own unique experience and perception as we encounter as we engage daily in our lives.
These and other artworks are available for sale - please ask. If you are interested in working with me or wish to buy or exhibit my work please enquire. I am also available for other creative projects both therapeutically and creatively with the intention of creating all things that are unique and gorgeous - even if it is a little something!