In 2017, Gracey found herself, accompanied by her husband Tim, and two children, on a four week road trip to California. The trip came about has Tim had been given a sabbatical. Gracey says "with a family mad on the sea and sailing it made sense to explore the possibilities of California." And so they headed to the west coast of California to visit friends in Santa Monica and San Francisco. "I was working on a series exploring the SW coast of England at the time. Travelling on Route 1 seemed a perfect choice to fulfil the family’s desire to explore a bit of the US, enjoy the sea as much as possible and give me an opportunity to observe and sketch a different coastline. The drama and power of the landscape had a deep impact on each of us. I continued to draw sketches for another year before beginning a collection of work. I wanted in this series to have captured the striking contrast within the 500 mile journey. We travelled in March when the sharp summer sun had yet to strike and therefore variety in light and weather was more apparent. There was also a strong sense of extremes; where some places were thriving and affluent, there were also parts that felt extremely barren and isolated. Using print on a large and small scale I have hoped to convey the vast, intense, absorbing life of the landscape that exists on the edge of California."
Rachel Gracey R.E.: The Pacific Coast
Past exhibition
