Rachel Le Roux

Sumayaw Ka Sa Katahimikan (Dance in Silence) by LeRoux

Tell us a bit about your background and how you came to be an artist.

I’m a British-Filipino contemporary artist – born and raised in Manila, Philippines but I always like to say that I  grew up in England, after all, it’s where I became an adult. But story about my art journey is a long one so perhaps  the shorter, simplified version is better! Art has always been my first love. Through my teenage angst, I painted my sorrows away. Through my early 20’s, I hid my sadness behind the colours of my bright abstracts. And in my first year of finally grounding myself in London, I even had a little solo show in a tiny café in Maida Vale! Then life happened and my art quickly slipped away from me. I worked two jobs with no free time or money. After some time, I signed up for some short courses at Central St Martins to prepare for university but eventually, I gave every bit of myself to my Interior and Spatial Design course at Chelsea College of Art and Design. Art disappeared from my life again as I focused on my career as an Interior Architect.

After moving back to Manila in ‘09, I had some opportunities to participate in group shows and loved every moment. But, I still couldn’t get back into my groove. Fast forward to 2017 – Back in Manila, a mama to two, a wife, the interior design head at an architectural firm and in depth of my immense burnout. I hit rock bottom and lost myself in so many ways so it’s difficult to fully explain how I discovered art again but just like that, a light switch turned on and the healing energy was powerful. I had forgotten about art but art never forgot about me. While it may have taken time to find its way back to me, it is officially here to stay as it’s etched in my soul. It is only now, at 41, that I fully understand it’s been this way all along.

What are the big influences in your work?

When I try to gather my thoughts about my work, I think about time and how it is ceaseless. Where movement and stillness are fundamental components that define time and those become the elements I focus on in manifesting my ideas and concepts.  

I close my eyes and imagine movement – dancing especially – I envision and feel the movement that comes within their soul. Their bodies contour into emotion and the fabric swirls around the outline of their bodies, moulding its own shape around a silhouette that hosts the flow, which then causes the fabric to shift in its own form. While these two elements maneuvre around each other, like a symbiotic relationship -  all else stills around them. I’m not a dancer by any means – but the sense of freedom exhilarates me, so the idea of grasping that paused second in time memerises me. And in a sense, every single second would be a capture of a different stolen moment that could never be duplicated. Like a fingerprint.

And then in my most recent collection release, I focused on the complete opposite and immersed myself in the stillness – based on the stillness of 2020. Where the idea that even when the world stopped, when you stopped, when life was at a standstill - time still moved forward. It sped by while you watched it, with light trails in your peripheral as it left a gust behind it’s path. So while I still painted female figures in their stillness, the essence of movement was focused more on the fabric. 

In the process of creating, my pieces navigate through rawness and layers that eventually unravel to become my narrative where I try to tell stories of my own in faces and bodies that don’t belong to me.

Phenomenal Woman by LeRoux

What is your process?

Definitely a lot of research. I can’t paint from my imagination so Photoshop is my best friend. With my background in Interior Architecture, I’m quite technical and sometimes too controlled. I create digital collages to visually map out the ideas that are in my head. Recently, I’d been using Adobe Fresco, so this is a new discovery for my planning process that I’ve been enjoying because oh my – the oil paint brushes are fantastic. But really and truly, they never look like my final piece because I tend to lose myself in the fabric. The freedom it gives me is what makes me happy.

For my last collection, I had about 5 pieces on the go. Sometimes, I’ll also have abstracts on the side because I really don’t like wasting paint! It’s been fun working on pieces simultaneously, but 5 may be my max for now!

Can you talk a bit about the evolution of your practice and your work?

As a self-taught artist, I feel like I’m just trying to constantly evolve. I remember painting my first dancer and her body remains blank to this day because I didn’t feel confident enough to paint her body compared to the confidence I have with pencils. It was after that where I decided to draw the bodies and paint the dresses. I think the control in my pencils but yet the freedom within my oil paints are what keeps me balanced as an artist. I truly enjoy both methods and materials so I guess I wanted to incorporate both into one piece so I didn’t have to choose! Recently, I’ve been slowly discovering that painting bodies isn’t so bad after all but since I love my 6B pencils too much, they are still a part of each piece of artwork I make. Even in my abstracts! 

Do you have a favourite quote?

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away” – Maya Angelou 

Which art gallery do you never tire of visiting and what is your favourite artwork in their collection? 

Stuck in my Head by LeRoux

I always try to visit the Tate Modern when I’m in London, it’s my favourite. Can a space be my favourite? Because the architectural geek in me marvels as I walk into the Turbine Hall - how its vast and versatile the space is, how it plays with light and levels and how it welcomes you and invites you into the creative escape that the Tate Modern offers.

Which artists are you enjoying at the moment?

INES LONGEVIAL – Just everything about her work. Just so amazing.She is my ultimate favourite at the moment.

HANNAH JENSEN – Her method of carving layers and layers of acrylic paint is mesmerising. I can’t stop watching her videos. 

HIBA SCHABAZ – The dreaminess of her work, the way she paints in dresses, on tables, on ladders, on the floor… what a treat to watch her process.

What is the most memorable thing someone has said about your work?

There have been  a few memorable things people have said that have resonated – the feedback I receive is what keeps me going, allows me to believe in myself even further! But most recently someone told me that she could see language coming out from my paintings. She understood that while I paint, all the thoughts and words in my head go straight into my work, as if my stories and secrets are hidden beneath each fold. I love that she saw that just by seeing my work on Instagram. That made me really happy to know someone saw beyond what is on my canvas.

Website of Rachel: https://www.rlerouxart.com