Episode 44

044: Building a Life as an Artist with Fay Ray

Published on: 16th August, 2022

In this episode, artist Fay Ray and I have a beautiful and honest conversation about the art world, what it means to be both an artist and a parent, and how designers can better understand and incorporate art into spaces. Fay Ray also reminds us of the challenges of building a life as an artist, and she shares how she has remained devoted to her work over the years. 

There’s so much here to talk about that we could do a part two to this episode, so stay tuned! In the meantime, enjoy this wonderful conversation.

Guest Bio

Los Angeles-based artist Fay Ray explores the fetishization of objects and the construction of female identity through high-contrast, monochrome photomontages and metallic sculpture. For her three-dimensional works, Fay Ray compiles cast aluminum objects, bored volcanic rocks, wire, chain, and natural materials into suspended sculptural masses. Conflating worlds of worship and desire, the works across mediums borrow from the symbolism and composition of traditional religious relics and the visual language of the occult. Ray’s sculptures and collages hint at the presence of a rematerialized body through a mysterious yet systematic organization of abstract form.

Fay Ray (b. 1978, Riverside, CA) received her BFA from Otis College of Art and Design in 2002, and her MFA from Columbia University in 2005. She has exhibited at galleries within the US and internationally, including Shulamit Nazarian, Los Angeles (2016 & 2018); Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris (2016); Louis B James Gallery, New York (2016); JOAN, Los Angeles (2015); Honor Fraser Gallery, Los Angeles (2012); and Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills (2011) and New York (2007), among others.

Featured in this episode

Featured candle: Beeswax candle from Mithras Candle

Featured brew: Mushroom Mocha from Fun Earth Co

Featured Tarot deck: Moon BB Magick Tarot by Angela Mary Magick

Connect with Fay Ray

Oolong Gallery

See Fay Ray’s work at Oolong Gallery in Solana Beach! Please reach out to the gallery with any inquiries about the show.

Fay Ray Studios Website

Fay Ray Studios Instagram

Fay Ray Clay Instagram


Are you an interior designer or are you interested in Holistic Interior Design? Check out my membership program, the Design Coven! This program is a real-world industry mentorship for Holistic Interior Designers that has everything you won't find in traditional design school curriculum. You'll learn from practicing interior designers working on real life projects, and get access to cutting edge vendors, suppliers, furniture makers, textile designers, and design resources that I've curated over my 17 years of design experience. As a member, you'll have the opportunity to build valuable relationships of your own. Learn more.

Connect with Rachel Larraine

Website

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Patreon

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About the Podcast

Holistic Interior Design Podcast
Designing with Intention promoting health and well-being.
Welcome to The Holistic Interior Design Podcast — where your space becomes a tool for healing, alignment, and beauty.

I’m Rachel Larraine Crawford, your host, guide and interior designer. I work with conscious homeowners, wellness practitioners, and boutique hospitality brands to create intentional spaces that feel as good as they look.

This podcast is an invitation to get to know me, my process, and what it really means to design from a place of energy, emotion, and soul. Whether you’re redesigning your home, refreshing your business, or just craving more clarity and connection in your environment, you’re in the right place.

Each week, I share raw, unedited episodes full of:
Energy-shifting design tips rooted in Feng Shui and intuition
Rituals and seasonal inspiration for your home or business
Real-life design audits and answers to your questions
Behind-the-scenes insights into my holistic design work

This podcast is interactive — I want to hear from you. Submit your design dilemma or question, and it might be featured on the show at speakpipe.com/hid

Whether you're holding space for yourself or for your guests, this is where beauty, purpose, and energy meet.
Ready to design a space that reflects who you truly are — and supports who you’re becoming? Let’s begin.
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About your host

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Rachel Crawford

Rachel is a Mystic, Reiki Master, Tarot Reader, Feng Shui Practitioner, Energy Healer, and Holistic Interior Designer, whose intimate connection to her intuition and ancestral roots enabled her to rise above a challenging childhood and blossom into the powerful and impassioned healer she is today.

Committed to empowering others by teaching modalities that support connection to intuition, Rachel hosts workshops and retreats focused on the ancient practices of Feng Shui, Tarot, crystals, herbs and oils, ritual and ceremony, astrology and metaphysics — in addition to live and virtual new moon and full moon circles.

Rachel also lends her harmonious and balancing acumen to the creation of energetically aligned spaces through Holistic Interior Design. Since earning her Associates Degree and Certificate in Interior Design 2005, she has created and collaborated on a multitude of award-winning residential and commercial spaces, including Realm of the 52 Remedies (with Onairos Design), all while becoming certified in Classical Flying Stars Feng Shui through the International School of Feng Shui (2015), studying the practices of Land Healing, Ritual, and Ceremony under Amanda Sophia & Alex Stark in Ireland, and with "House Whisperer," Christian Kyriacou.
Rachel's work has been featured in several exhibitions, including KAABOO, a music, comedy, culinary and art festival held in Del Mar, CA, where as part of an experiential art installation by Carly Ealey and Madeleine Tonzi, she created a crystal grid below the piece, clearing the participating auras before entering the installation. Her designs have been published in San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles, Modern Luxury Magazine, San Diego Magazine, Exquisite Weddings, Style & Decor and Serendipity Magazine.

You may also connect with Rachel on a regular basis through Patreon, where she is is creating Mystical Rituals and Sacred Spaces, providing Tarot Readings, and nurturing spiritual connections.

Her Interior Design Projects can be found here Tigerveil.com