Actor Rachel Giddens first decided to take her hobby seriously while planning a trip overseas in 2014.
"I thought I have all these random artworks sitting around my apartment, I'll see if I can sell them," she says. "I ended up making enough to cover my plane tickets for the entire trip. It was the first moment where I thought hey, wait a minute, these artworks could actually be profitable, rather than just something I do in my spare time."
Rachel Giddens supplements her acting career with her artwork.
Since then, the 26-year-old self-taught artist has developed a side hustle painting her colourful, abstract images and doing murals for businesses all signed off under her artist name of Ranna. She's also continued acting, appearing at Chippen Street Theatre in David Lindsay-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole earlier this year and she is developing a "sex, drugs and recipes" web series spoofing her celebrity doppelganger Nigella Lawson.
"It is a juggling act every week," says Giddens. "But when I'm completely overflowing with work, I get to go to a cafe in my activewear and not have to worry about going into an office to report to a boss. It's pretty nice."
Today Giddens shows her paintings and posters for the first time at The Other Art Fair, which has moved to a new home in Barangaroo. The curated fair has 130 emerging contemporary artists sharing their wares directly with festivalgoers, along with creative workshops, live music and a tattoo artist on site. For Giddens, who has found many fans on social media, it's an exciting chance to speak face-to-face.
"You stand at your stall and chat to people who come by about your art," she says. "As an actor, the extrovert side of me goes that's going to be so much fun."
The Other Art Fair, 10am-5pm, The Cutaway, Barangaroo Reserve, 1 Merriman Street, Barangaroo, $30, sydney.theotherartfair.com
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