Playing Around represents a reverent, prayerful state. Rachel had been prompted by viewers to put figures in her work, so she started with the figure of a kneeling Franciscan monk. The Franciscans are known for their love of simplicity and Francis is often featured with birds, showing he was someone who cared deeply for the non-human world. This work is a first in Rachel’s practice for two reasons: for attempting figures and including paint. Paint covers most of the canvas, except a few figurative sections where the collage-painting mix shows through. The monkish figure on the left evolved during the making phase; it became Rachel, kneeling in an open, welcoming stance towards the other figure, a little mouse (standing side on) representing her toddler nephew. They are playing in the greenery of a park, playing a game, possibly hide and seek. As the work was nearing completion and Rachel was showing it to people, one viewer commented that ‘praying’ and ‘playing’ are, or at least should be, considered very similar acts. From this interpretation came the title,‘Playing Around.’