Rahalie McGuirk
Raised in Busselton, W.A
Lives & works in Perth, W.A
Rahalie is a Busselton raised Perth artist, muralist and live painter working under the moniker “The Velveteen Rabbit Art” She studied Fine Art at Curtin, later completing a Diploma of Secondary Education in 2013, majoring in Art.
Rahalie has taught teen art workshops at Karen Frankel Art Studio and has previously co-ordinated art workshops through Nulsen and ‘Activ’. She now teaches at Burrendah Primary School as the Specialist Art Teacher for Year 1 - Year 6.
Over the past few years Rahalie has concentrated on honing her own edgy and recognizable style and in doing so has become a notable name within Perth’s art scene. Her colourful work encourages a child like wonder and reflects an interest in Animalia, the natural environment and other-worldy beings. Creating bold, patterned designs, Rahalie playfully interweaves minimalist compositions with frenzied detail, taking inspiration from the 1950’s Pop art aesthetic. Her semi-abstracted subjects also provide a medium for displaying her considered colour choices and confident application of contoured line. With a current focus on mural work and painting, her graphic technique is executed primarily with acrylic paint, acrylic spray and paint markers.
She has participated in various exhibitions and local events, donating art to multiple community fundraising events and charities such as: The Cat Haven, CORD, ROAR, I heart Nepal, OxJam, Lights Out, Meowvember and Bali Animal Welfare. Her well-received first solo exhibition was held in December 2015.
She held a studio space at The Corner Gallery in Subiaco until recently, and was a guest speaker at their Creative Conference held in May 2016.
Rahalie’s mural work can be found in various locations around Perth's CBD and outer suburbs, and the South West. Her largest work to date being an outdoor 31m x 3.5m Cat mural at Perth Cat Hospital on Oxford Street in West Leederville.
If you are interested in having a mural painted for your home or business, commissioning a painting or drawing, or receiving art tutoring for yourself or your child, please feel free to contact Rahalie to find out more.