Shonagh Rae has an eclectic range of tastes and interests. Her work is an amalgam of photography, drawing and printmaking combined in a collage technique. Her photography is often staged using people she knows to pose for her as well as photos of architecture, environments, light and shadows, and models that she makes. Shonagh’s vibrant and versatile portfolio has allowed her to cover a diverse and often highly sensitive range of subjects on international politics, health and the environment for clients including The Financial Times, Harper’s Magazine, The New York Times, The OMIF and the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Her work has also often been commissioned by fashion, luxury and lifestyle brands such as Levi’s, Apple, British Airways, Arup and boutique hotels in London and Zürich. She has created numerous book covers for Faber, Macmillan, Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster.
Issues is a policy journal published quarterly by the United States National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Arizona State University. The journal is a forum for discussion of public policy related to science, technology, engineering, and medicine. Shonagh has been contributing to Issues since 2020 and also illustrated this 75th Anniversary collection of essays from the magazine.
“From stunning portraits of interview subjects to creative illustrations of abstract essay topics, Shonagh's sophisticated, subtle, and consistently gorgeous artwork brightens the pages of Issues in Science and Technology. Her illustrations have played a central role in elevating the visual identity of our journal, related publications, and online presence, and we have been thrilled to collaborate with her. ” - Jason Lloyd, Editor Issues in Science and Technology
Shonagh Rae’s personal practice informs her commercial work. Colours and textures from her abstract paintings and experimental printmaking may feature as layers within her digital collages.
Shonagh Rae has created a series of artworks depicting cities that are featured on the FT's Globetotter microsite and app. Globetrotter features insider tips to help business travellers make the most of their work trip.
Shonagh illustrated Gillian Tett’s weekly column for the Financial Times Magazine for 10 years. As the U.S editor-at-large for the Financial Times, Gillian Tett’s column delved into a wide range of economic, financial, political, and social topics.
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