Ever wonder how a single creative pivot can bloom into a multi-venue art business? We sit down with exhibiting artist Rachel Blakney and trace her path from early painting classes to a pandemic-era leap into polymer clay that reshaped her practice and presence in the community. Rachel’s world is rooted in nature—florals, animals, and organic textures—and she brings that love to both canvas and jewelry with moody palettes, crisp outlines, and tiny sculpted details that people can’t stop talking about.
We unpack why acrylic has become her medium of choice over oil and watercolor, digging into dry times, layering, finish, and the confidence that comes with working fast. Rachel explains how black backgrounds and bold lines make petals read like stained glass, and how value mapping helps students and collectors see the structure beneath the beauty. On the clay side, she reveals the process behind her miniature florals and playful food pieces—croissants, cupcakes, and tiny ice cream cones—and how tailoring designs to each venue boosts sales and connection. From bakeries to farms to a bustling mall shop, her location-aware merchandising shows what happens when product storytelling meets audience intent.
If you’re a maker, you’ll appreciate her candid tips on switching mediums, building a cohesive style, and balancing wholesale with direct sales. If you’re a collector, you’ll find out exactly where to shop locally and how to snag her seasonal drops online. We also preview her upcoming classes focused on florals and still lifes, plus an open house where you can meet her in person and see the work up close.
Subscribe for more artist stories, share this with a friend who loves tiny details, and leave a review telling us your favorite medium—acrylic, oil, or watercolor. Your feedback helps us bring more thoughtful, creative voices to your feed.
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Episode Transcript
Hello everyone.
Welcome back to a new episode ofBrutally Made.
I'm so excited to have ourexhibiting artist for November,
Rachel Blakeney.
And so she is in the StarkCounty Canton area.
And welcome, Rachel.
I'm really excited that we getto share all your work with
everyone.
Yes.
Thanks.
(00:26):
So, Rachel, I met you through uhyour inquiry about wholesaling
your earrings here in the shop.
And so she does beautiful claywork.
But then after hearing all theother things that she does,
she's been painting for yearsand all the other interests.
She applied to be one of theexhibiting artists very early
(00:47):
on.
That was very smart because shegot on the calendar.
Oh, and so her work is all thesebeautiful florals, and you've
got animals like you know, orcasand uh fish and watercolor and
oil.
So please share with everyone alittle bit about yourself and
all the mediums that you like towork on.
SPEAKER_00 (01:06):
Yeah.
So I love obviously to paint.
Um, I'm totally into florals,nature, animals, um, just
everything having to do withnature.
And I obviously am obsessed withflorals, that's part of my logo.
Um, but I used to garden on myown just in my front yard.
(01:28):
Um, I didn't do it this pastsummer, it was just too crazy.
But I love to grow my ownflowers.
Um, I'm friends with April, andshe's a um flower farmer here in
Canton too, Joyful Blooms.
Yes.
Um, so I'm obsessed with herflowers, and I just love to
paint them.
I love to put them on clay.
Um, it's not just putting themon clay.
SPEAKER_01 (01:48):
People she is sculpting them in these
beautiful tiny details on herjewelry.
SPEAKER_00 (01:54):
Yes, I love to make that's probably my favorite
thing to make with the earringsis the florals.
Um, just because there's so manydifferent things you can do with
it.
You can make obviously danglyearrings, you can make studs,
uh, you can make them big,small, whatever you like.
And I I just love to experimentwith different colors, different
flowers.
Um, and it seems like you know,other people are interested as
(02:17):
well.
Like they love the tiny details.
They love obviously the sillyones that I make, like
croissants or food items, but umthey just I don't know, it seems
like people like to wear uniquethings and support other artists
who make unique things as well.
So it's been fun.
I've been doing it for aboutthree years.
(02:37):
So um I obviously I've beenpainting a lot longer than that
since I was probably 18 in highschool, and I took a bunch of
art classes, but um the claystuff has just been like three,
three and a half years.
So I just decided to trysomething new when it was right
around COVID time, and uh Iactually quit my full-time job
(03:00):
to stay home with my kids, and Ijust saw some videos and I was
like, you know, that looksactually really fun.
So I tried it just to see whatit was like.
I had no idea before I saw somerandom videos online what clay
even was or how to bake it inthe oven and how to make it, you
know, get hard.
Um, and then you know, put it onearring hooks and stuff.
(03:24):
But uh, I just tried it one dayand I fell in love because
there's so many different thingsyou can do with it.
SPEAKER_01 (03:30):
And uh the versatile, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (03:32):
Yeah, yeah.
And it's just fun.
It's I call it like adultplay-doh.
You get to mix the colorsyourself, and then um you just
sculpt it into whatever youlike.
So yeah, I just think it's fun.
SPEAKER_01 (03:44):
Yeah, people are obsessed with miniature things.
I find that I have the minihouse that you can shop from,
but oh yeah, and you're talkingabout the mini food or the the
details, the delicate details inthe florals.
I mean, people just obsess overthat, so you're on the right
track.
SPEAKER_00 (03:57):
Yeah, anything that's tiny is just so cute, and
people love it.
SPEAKER_01 (04:01):
I know, I know, I love that.
Now, I was talking also aboutyour wall art, and you have
quite a few different mediums,even in our display.
So, oil, acrylic, watercolor.
Do you have a favorite?
SPEAKER_00 (04:13):
Um, I used to say oil was my favorite, but in this
past year, I really just loveacrylic.
I don't know.
It's I like the fact that itdries fast, and you can, you
know, give it a second coat ifyou want in the same day.
With oil, obviously, you have towait two to three weeks till it
dries completely.
(04:34):
So I do like that you can mixoil and play around with it for
like a few days until it sets,but I just I've gotten into like
the matte, I like the matness ofacrylic, and I love that it
dries quickly and you can painton top of it, or you can paint a
second coat on it, or whateveryou want to do with it.
(04:56):
But I've been recently, I likeprobably acrylic even more than
oil now.
And I always I like watercolortoo, but I think acrylic's my
favorite.
SPEAKER_01 (05:05):
Yeah, yeah, that's definitely a different medium,
like you said, you're able towork in layers very quickly in
oil, the cleanup and stuff.
SPEAKER_00 (05:14):
It is hard, but I love that you're exploring in
all the different varieties ofyou know each one is each one is
totally unique and different,and that's why I encourage other
people.
Like, if you don't like acertain medium, just try a
different one.
Like, they're literally all sodifferent, and the different
techniques you can learn fromeach different kind of paint is
(05:35):
just fun.
So yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (05:37):
Have you ever explored the different um
substrates that you put thepaint on?
Have you ever painted on cradleboard or has it only been on
canvas?
SPEAKER_00 (05:45):
I have well, I've only mostly done canvas, but I
have painted on wood before.
Like one of my display boards iswood for my markets, um, just
like a big wooden rectangle thatI put hooks on and I painted
florals on that, and that's funtoo.
Um, but I really mostly just docanvases just because it's my
(06:06):
favorite.
SPEAKER_01 (06:07):
Yeah.
Now, is there any special prepthat you do for your work or do
you just go straight intopainting?
SPEAKER_00 (06:12):
Um, I usually just go straight into painting, and
then at the end I put um like asealant coating on it just to
keep it safe.
But yeah, yeah, I just like tojump right.
I I obviously do like a littlesketch first to see, you know,
where I want to place it.
Right.
But yeah, I just like to jumpright in because I love the
painting portion of it.
SPEAKER_01 (06:32):
So yeah, I love how you were everything has a really
like like you called it moodycolor palette in your show, and
uh a lot of black backgrounds,and you've got the bright colors
to make and pop, and then onepiece has some really cool,
definite outlines, and it's gota lot of requests for like
classes.
Is there a certain style thatyou seem to gravitate towards?
SPEAKER_00 (06:54):
Um, I really just love the bold colors and bold
lines.
So, like the one I think that'sa magnolia flower that has the
bold black outlines on likeevery petal.
Um, I just love where you cansee the definition between every
single little detail on there.
SPEAKER_01 (07:15):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (07:16):
Um so yeah, I do.
I have been thinking aboutclasses for next year and just
either like a still life of abouquet or just a close-up of a
flower and then um sketching itand then teaching people like
what shades and how dark eachcolor of each section should be
before you finalize that.
(07:37):
But yeah, yeah, I have beenthinking about that the past
week, and uh maybe next yearwe'll plan some classes of that
would be great.
SPEAKER_01 (07:44):
No, I think that's a great idea.
SPEAKER_00 (07:46):
Yeah, definitely fun.
SPEAKER_01 (07:48):
Yeah, I it that that piece especially reminds me of
like a stained glass, and so Ithink that gets a little bit
abstract, but it's stillrealistic, and yeah, it's got a
lot of great positive commentssince it's been up.
Well, thank you.
Of course, have you ever thoughtabout like making miniature
pieces of art as earrings?
Um, like your paintings andstuff?
SPEAKER_00 (08:10):
I mean, I have done a few earrings that kind of look
like a little, obviously not acanvas, but that's a good idea
to make a tiny canvas.
Yeah, it looks like a painting.
SPEAKER_01 (08:21):
Um necklace, that'd be beautiful as a charm.
SPEAKER_00 (08:23):
Yeah, I do need to do, I need to experiment with
that too.
But uh yeah, some I have done umlike little tiny murals of um
like a mushroom with a littletiny ladybug on top.
I had a few of those.
Oh my god, those usually sell,it's like a very tiny mural.
So yeah, that's cute.
Those are fun.
SPEAKER_01 (08:44):
Yeah, I love that.
And how many local places um canpeople find your work?
SPEAKER_00 (08:50):
Oh, let's see.
I have a list here because Iknew I would forget.
Yeah, I'm like, I definitelywant to talk about that.
Yeah.
Um, so I'm in Bombshell Gifts,which is in Belden Village Mall.
Um, they're right by theDillard's and Spencer's
Dillards, and then them.
Um so that's where I have mybiggest collection.
(09:10):
And then I'm in Paper Twigs, theflorist in on Hills and Dales, I
think.
Yeah.
Um, and then I'm in SprinkleCity Bakery in Canton.
Yeah, I'm at Pav's Creamery, uh,all four of their locations.
Cool.
I think they're all fullystocked, but I have to double
check on that.
They all have little tiny icecream cones.
(09:31):
So fun.
Those are cute.
And then I'm in the cake ladybakery on North Main Street.
Yeah, they have a rack there,and then um obviously your store
has a few.
Yep.
And then Tansy Run Farms.
She had a bunch of chickenearrings and um like florals.
She's obviously closed for theseason.
(09:52):
Okay.
But next summer she'll open forher you pick flower farm.
Yeah.
So I'm in those.
I have a few, I think, at umWild Roots Herbal Care, which is
in Hartville.
unknown (10:04):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (10:05):
I think she still has a few of my mushroom
earrings.
So okay.
SPEAKER_01 (10:08):
Sounds like you really try to cater what the
store represents.
Like the at Sprinkle City,that's a bakery.
Are there bakery earrings inthere?
SPEAKER_00 (10:16):
Yeah, they have excuse me, they have different
um, they have like croissantones, I think, cupcake ones.
Um just like eggs and baconones.
SPEAKER_01 (10:28):
Um, I have art palettes here at the shop.
They're really cute.
Yeah, you're very thoughtfulabout what you offer to put in
those locations.
SPEAKER_00 (10:35):
And I try to put, you know, what people are there
to buy and what they would thinkis cute in that location.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (10:43):
Do you mainly do earrings or are there other
pieces of jewelry that you alsolike carry?
SPEAKER_00 (10:48):
Um, mainly earrings.
I'm sorry, I've been sick thisweek.
SPEAKER_01 (10:51):
Oh no.
SPEAKER_00 (10:53):
Mainly earrings and some bracelets, but mostly
earrings everywhere.
Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_01 (10:58):
No, no, they're they're very cute.
I didn't know if people werelike, I want a set, it has to
have a matching necklace orsomething like that.
So I didn't know if that was arequest.
SPEAKER_00 (11:06):
I do necklaces sometimes, but okay, not too
often, mostly earrings.
SPEAKER_01 (11:11):
Yeah, I think people like the statement earring, you
know, they want to representsomething.
So that's that's really good.
Well, where can people find youonline if they are not local at
all those locations?
Do you offer your productsonline?
Uh, I do.
SPEAKER_00 (11:24):
So I have an Etsy page that I will update on
November 10th.
So it's gonna have all myChristmas designs.
Um I've been taking pictures ofall of them for the past two
weeks.
Uh-huh.
And um that is um etsy.com slashshop slash Rachel Annie.
(11:48):
Okay, oh that's good becauseyou're Rachel's Clay Cafe here
locally.
SPEAKER_01 (11:51):
So Rachel Annie.
All right, and I'll make sure Ihave links in the show notes.
SPEAKER_00 (11:55):
Yeah, and then that will be open on November 10th.
Those ones will be um like madeto order.
Oh, so I'll put the pictures ofthem and then as they order,
I'll make them just because I'vehad to fill all my stores, so I
don't have a lot left.
Yeah, so um, those usually shipout within two days, though.
And then um obviously Rachel'sClay Cafe on Instagram.
(12:18):
Okay, you can always, you know,send me a message if there's
something specific you want.
SPEAKER_01 (12:23):
So yeah, yeah.
Okay, good.
Yeah, I'll make sure we haveshow in the show notes those
links to both those platforms.
So that's great.
And any uh upcoming news, anyother shows, or you've got art
planned to be showcased anywhereelse or any um local shows
coming up?
SPEAKER_00 (12:41):
Not yet for um artwork, but I do have um an I
do have an open house um atPalmshall Gifts on November
15th.
SPEAKER_01 (12:54):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (12:57):
So I will be there from 12 to 4 on the 15th.
Okay, and at the mall, so yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (13:03):
Super.
Oh, well, thank you so much forstill taking the time.
I know you don't feel welltoday.
Yes, I'm sorry.
I've had a cough and a cold forlike a week.
Well, it's going around and thekiddos bring things home.
Oh, yeah.
Well, thanks again, Rachel, andI'm really excited about having
your pieces here in the studiofor the month.
(13:24):
And I will continue to talk youinto teaching because I think
that it's going to be a very funclass.
That will be fun, yes.
All right, well so thanks again.
All right, thank you so much.
Bye.
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