New Territories: A Painting Workshop by Rachael Addis

Join a hands-on painting workshop with Manchester artist Rachael Addis, exploring belonging, displacement, and new territories.

Join us for an engaging, hands-on painting workshop led by Manchester-based artist Rachael Addis, exploring ideas of belonging, displacement, and the discovery of ‘new territories’ through creative practice. Shaped by her formative years living in Asia, including Hong Kong and Thailand, Rachael’s work reflects a thoughtful engagement with unfamiliar landscapes and the subtle ways place informs identity and perception.

The session will begin with an introduction to Rachael’s artistic practice, offering insight into how her experiences abroad have closely influenced her approach to image-making. She will share the drawing and painting techniques central to her work, demonstrating methods that balance observation with intuition, memory with imagination. Participants will then delve into a guided painting session, experimenting with techniques introduced earlier while responding to themes of landscape, transition, and personal geographies.

All materials will be provided. Please wear clothes suitable for painting. This workshop welcomes all levels of experience and encourages participants to reflect on their own sense of placemaking through creative exploration.

Places are limited, so please book in advance to secure your spot.

This programme is part of esea ArtClub, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

About Rachael Addis

Rachael Addis is a contemporary painter whose practice has been shaped by formative years spent between the Lake District and Asia. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Arts (London), she is now based at Rogue Artists Studios in Manchester.

Her intricate paintings are built through distinctive, repetitive mark-making that she describes as ‘meditative and compulsive,’ allowing each work to unfold gradually through layered gestures. Working both en plein air and in the studio, her compositions balance intuition and intention, reflecting an ongoing engagement with memory, movement, and landscape.

Image credits:

1. Image of Rachel Addis. Courtesy of the Artist.
2. Rachael Addis, 'Northern Rhythm', 2025, acrylic and mixed media on wall. Courtesy of the artist and Co-op Live.
3. Rachael Addis, 'Flum Flum Tree', 2023, acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and Smolensky Gallery.
4. Rachael Addis, 'Territories of the East', 2023, acrylic on canvas, 90 x 150 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
5. Rachael Addis, 'Beyond Territories', 2023, acrylic on canvas, 100 x 150 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
   

About esea contemporary

esea contemporary is the UK’s only non-profit art centre specialising in presenting and platforming artists and art practices that identify with and are informed by East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) cultural backgrounds.

esea contemporary is situated in an award-winning building in the heart of Manchester, home to one of the largest East Asian populations in the UK. Since its inauguration as a community-oriented visual arts festival in 1986, esea contemporary has continuously evolved to establish itself as a dynamic and engaging space for cross-cultural exchanges in the British art scene, as well as in a global context.

esea contemporary aims to increase the visibility of contemporary art practices from the East and Southeast Asian communities and their diasporas. It is a site for forward-thinking art programmes that beyond exhibitions also include commissions, research, residencies, publishing, and a wide range of vibrant public events. esea contemporary values creativity, compassion, interconnectedness, and collectivity in implementing its mission.

Learn more at: www.eseacontemporary.org

Photo by Joe Smith.