What’s in Your Toolbox: Rachel Castle

What’s in Your Toolbox: Rachel Castle:


Rachel Castle is an Australian designer/artist specializing in handmade homewares. She is known for her bright and punchy embroideries and screenprints of various phrases and witticisms, in addition to her abstract prints and patterns. It should come as no surprise that her studio tour is every bit as cheerful and full of color as her collections. Read on for a glimpse into the colorful world of Rachel Castle! — Ginny
1. Design*Sponge: What is in your toolbox?
Rachel Castle: At the moment, I am preparing for a show full of paintings at Koskela in Sydney. So the toolbox is very distinct:

• About a billion paintbrushes, of which I only use 3, grrrrrr, and I do the naughty thing where I cut off the straggly ends with a pair of scissors.


• Cloths and rags everywhere


• A very heavy grade 500gsm pure linen, which has a specific “bump” to it that I really like, meaning the painted lines are naturally a little wonky, which I love.


• 20 coffees, although I have moved into a new studio space and have a broken foot, so I can’t get as many coffees as I would normally. I have to ring and ask a nice friend to bring me one.


• Computer, always. [It is a] constant reference, what would we do without it?


• The good old-fashioned photocopier. I do a lot of designs on the computer with hand drawing and blow them up on the photocopier. The big black box I love to hate.


• And all the paint. I would love to say I have every color, but I have every brand of the same colors, yellow, pink, orange, tiny bit of blue, and ALLLLL the fluro. Really hard to get great fluro.

2. Design*Sponge: Fill in the blank, “When I am in my studio, I feel _____________.”


Rachel Castle: When I’m in my studio I feel free.











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DIGITAL JUICE