Rachel Stormonth-Darling in her new studio, 2025. © The Artist
Bronze has a journey of its own with its unique ageing process developing distinct lines and shades which are fun to manipulate with different patinas.
– Rachel Stormonth-Darling, 2025
EASTWOOD FINE ART: You primarily work in bronze and bronze resin. How did you start out? What is it about bronze that drew you to work with the medium?
RACHEL STORMONTH-DARLING: Clare Trenchard first introduced me to bronze resin. The immediacy of casting in resin was both thrilling and complex. It’s a little brittle and not as durable as bronze. I love to use it with compound stones and marbles.
Bronze picks up complex and intricate designs, textures, and finishes that are magical and scientific in themselves. It’s amazing to tap into its rich legacy and engage with a material used thousands of years ago. Bronze has a journey of its own, with its unique ageing process developing distinct lines and shades, which are fun to manipulate with different patinas.
EFA: Animals are your primary subject matter; each figure bears an innate sense of character and narrative. Tell us about your process and how you choose to envisage your subjects
RS-D: A mixture of observation and imagination. Each animal has their own personality, and I think about their actions or responses to situations. I think a lot about their survival in the world they inhabit. How they interact with their surroundings, and their relationship with us.
EFA: Have you had any recent experiences that have given a new perspective to your day-to-day work?
RS-D: I saw Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism at the Royal Academy – It was an explosion of colour and storytelling. It made me reflect on historical challenges which are still relevant today, showing that art can not only capture a moment in time but also resonate across generations.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year at the Natural History Museum – Thought-provoking, capturing moments of vulnerability and resilience in the natural world.
The Peregrine by J. A. Baker – His descriptions from his close observation engaging with the fastest, most graceful and powerful bird on the planet is a work of art.
EFA: Is there anything you cannot be without in your studio?
RS-D: Music. I can’t pin it down to one particular genre... Pink Floyd to Nina Simone, Classical to Van the Man, Dylan to Adele. Sometimes Radio 2 … I like a background of company.
I've done something really courageous and bought myself a mobile studio. I'm going to have an amazing window onto my world and it's like having everything just there; portable, temporary and immediate.
EFA: You are moving your studio of eighteen years! How will it differ?
RS-while it’s a shift, it’s also a kind of transformation. I've done something really courageous and bought myself a mobile studio. I'm going to have an amazing window onto my world and having everything just there; portable, temporary and immediate.
So for now, it feels like the perfect fit in this new, intimate environment—one that’s immersed in nature and free from the usual distractions. I’m finding a sort of peace in this space, with a different dynamic.
Nature itself will play a huge role in how the work unfolds. The weather, especially, is something I’ll have to factor in, particularly because I work with wax and clay which is sensitive to temperature. In warmer weather, it can soften or harden too quickly. On the flip side, colder or wetter days will present their own challenges, making it harder to work in the way I’m used to.
For the moment this charming 1970s caravan is like living a little dream I’ve always had. It feels like the beginning of something new, and who knows where it will lead? There’s something exciting about embracing this adventure and the creative possibilities it might bring.
EFA: For SPOTLIGHT, you are showing two new works. Tell us more about them!
RS-D: Both subjects share a rhythm of movement, balance and energy – powerful legs and fluid motion. Although distinctly different, they both capture the essence of kinetic energy and the joy of movement. When I made these pieces, they propelled me out of the tail end of a grey and foggy winter, immersing me into the energetic pulse of spring.