Rachel Reeve, an interdisciplinary visual artist based in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley has exhibited in Canada, Japan and the United Staes. Reeve received her BFA (Interdisciplinary) from NSCAD University.

The experience of living and working in Japan in the early 2000's continues to influence her work. With an interest in the reverence toward nature that exists in Japanese art and culture, Reeve creates a hybrid of cultural connections with Nova Scotia. She explores elements of nature from symbolic, cultural and ecological perspectives, combining her skills in printmaking with her passion for nature.  

My practice centres on nature and human connections with the natural world. As an interdisciplinary artist I use a number of printmaking techniques as well as mixed media, design, sculpture and installation. 

Nature has always been central to my life, and nature printing offers a sensory, contemplative, hands-on experience. Each print captures the essence of a place: the sweet scent of woodruff in spring, fresh pine needles in winter, the ocean’s salt from lobster and seaweed, or the sharpness of freshwater fish. I’m drawn to the variety of lines, forms, and textures in nature’s impressions, and I value the minimal equipment needed. I have modified a selection of gyotaku and botanical prints to canvas with the intent of creating variation and immediacy through composition and material. 

Gyotaku (Japanese 魚拓, meaning “fish rubbing”) originated in 19th-century Japan as a way for fishermen to document their catch. After creating a print, the fish would typically be cleaned and prepared for consumption. My gyotaku series represents an ongoing exploration of printmaking, building on my experience with techniques such as intaglio, monotype, woodcut, linocut, cyanotype, and botanical printing. I first experimented with gyotaku in 2015 after a friend shared a recent catch, inspiring me to explore this historical art form. Each print pays tribute to our shared environment.

Growing up on a rural farmstead in Ontario deeply shaped my connection to the natural world. I respond to the environment around me and the memories and connections to places I have lived and traveled to. Adopted at two and a half I often sought solace in the woods, fields and gardens where nature became both a companion and teacher. Through life’s hardships, it provided a sense of trust and belonging that continues to influence my work today.

Another significant influence on my design sensibilities was the Georgian stone house that I grew up in. Built in the 1860’s, it reflected the Palladian architectural style, characterized by balanced facades, minimal detailing and an emphasis on symmetry, simplicity and solidity. The stately granite structure exuded a timeless presence and beauty, sparking my lifelong interest in architecture, history, geology and rock gardens. 

“Those people in our lives who have validated our personhood by seeing us and exclaiming so are the foundations of our self-worth.” - Mark Nepo

I am deeply grateful for the nurturing my grandmother provided. With her meticulous attention to detail, she cared deeply for her home, her cooking, her family and friends, her interests, and her work. She would have impressed even Marie Kondo. She established daily rituals that, much like my embodied connection with nature, became a profound source of nurturing, curiosity, and exploration.

During the summers, my two older brothers and I would often visit my grandmother, usually for weeks at a time. Each day, she would set up her card table with its quilted cover in the centre of her living room. One side of the room held a large picture window overlooking the front yard, lined with stately old maple trees. Opposite the window was her piano, and behind the table stood a mint-green sofa beneath a large painting of a serene river winding through a fall landscape.

There, as a little girl, I sat each day at this magical table. With my grandmother’s tender love, it was always graced with an assortment of art and craft materials. While the warm scent of cinnamon and apples filled the house, my hands would gingerly transform those materials into expressions of art. My sensitive hands became a bridge between my heart, soul, and the textures of paper and other tools. Sometimes, my mind would wander back to the adventures of the little rabbit from the story my grandmother had read to me the night before: Now run along, and don’t get into mischief.

Years later, at that table, I would ponder the tenacity, courage, and vulnerability of a fiery red-haired girl from another story we read together. As an adopted child, I saw my own reflection in this orphaned girl. I understood her longing to know where she came from, her yearning to be understood, and the feeling of being alone in the world.

The art table and the stories were gifts, blessings from my grandmother. Today, I am driven by the love she instilled in me—to create art, to write, to be courageous like the little rabbit, and to be vulnerable yet optimistic, like that tenacious red-haired girl.

A fascination with printmaking during the Art Fundamentals program at Sheridan College led me to pursue a BFA at NSCAD University in Halifax. While studying, I worked at a flower shop and began creating botanical etchings, with plants like the Monstera leaf becoming central to my work. Seeking a deeper understanding of art history, I took a semester off to backpack through Europe. Captivated by historical architecture, I spent hours sketching buildings and filling a notebook with architectural drawings. Upon returning to NSCAD, I continued exploring botanical prints and developed an appreciation for the simplicity and design of Japanese Zen gardens.

After graduating, I moved to Tokyo, where I lived and worked for three years. A trip to Hawaii led to marriage and the birth of my first son. After two years in Honolulu, we relocated to Annapolis, Maryland, for a year, followed by Monterey, California, where my second son was born.

In 2005, I returned to Nova Scotia as a single mother with my two young sons. For several years, I focused on raising them while teaching art part-time. In 2018, I reignited my own art practice and began leading workshops for adults. The pandemic further deepened my interest in health and wellness, inspiring me to write a manuscript on the art of journaling. Around this time, I also began envisioning my studio as a concept gallery and workshop space.

A series of life changes in 2023, including the loss of my father, renewed my determination to bring this vision to life. In 2024 supported by a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, I attended the Nature Printing Society’s annual workshop at Western Oregon University where I experimented with sea kelp and tree ring printing, expanding my range in nature printing.