Rachel Toll’s original watercolour sells within an hour at London gallery
Artist Rachel Toll has been a busy bee recently with one of her original paintings chosen for a prestigious annual exhibition in London – and it was sold through the show!
“I was absolutely delighted that my painting of a bumble bee has been selected by the Royal Institute Of Painters In Water Colours in their 211th exhibition,” said Rachel, whose work is published by The Eco-friendly Card Company as fine art greeting cards.
“I’ve tried before and failed, I was so pleased and excited, and it was sold in the opening hour, I was so pleased. Bees bees bees – I love to paint them and they have been very successful for me as well as being necessary for the planet.”
The 10-day exhibition at the Mall Galleries, near Trafalgar Square, finished on Saturday, 8 April, and was billed as the largest show of its kind “featuring over 400 of the finest contemporary water-based media paintings worldwide”, with workshops and demonstrations by institute members.
As a self-taught artist who admits she failed her art O Level, Devon-based Rachel was thrilled that Humble Bee, one of a number of her bee paintings, was picked from the many submissions to be among the 200 chosen to be hung from non-RI members.
Having always painted in her spare time, Rachel finally swapped her career working with adults and children with learning difficulties for painting full time as Watercolours By Rachel, and travelled up for the preview of the show on 29 March, finding her bee in the smaller gallery already complete with the red dot indicating it had been sold.
“I still pinch myself as to where I’ve landed.” Rachel explained in her blog. “I was so thrilled to have a piece accepted into the exhibition, and even more thrilled it was a bee. Having never had any formal training, and to be a part of something like this alongside some of my watercolour heroes, means I must be doing something right.”
The Eco-Friendly Card Company publishes blank and occasion cards using Rachel’s work as well as offering mini-notecard boxes and notecard wallet stationery, also featuring her popular bees.
Co-owner Sue Morrish said the publisher has previously worked with Mall Galleries, selling a lot of its art cards, including many of Rachel’s designs.
