Quarry With Sulphur Rising

Resin on canvas · 50 x 50cm · framed

Some landscapes are so extraordinary you could paint them for a lifetime. That's how Rachel felt travelling by motorhome around New Zealand's South Island, where every turn in the road opened onto another breathtaking panorama. This was one view she simply had to capture.

What struck her was the contrast. Above, the sky is alive with energy: great swirling bands of violet, slate and silver, twisting like weather on the move. Below, the quarry lies still and calm, yet it's startlingly colourful, with pools of acid green, coral pink and pale jade, smooth ochre stones, and dark pockets of shadow. It's as if the earth itself is breathing out colour, with sulphur rising into the air.

Working in resin is a race against time. Once mixed, Rachel has just four minutes before it begins to set as hard as rock, and after that it can't be moved or changed. So every resin painting is meticulously planned in advance: the colours, the layers, where each pour will go and how it will flow. What looks free and effortless is actually the result of careful preparation, a steady hand and total concentration.

The resin flows and pools just as the landscape does, giving the surface a glassy, liquid depth, so every part of it has its own movement and detail. It's vibrant, unusual and full of energy, a piece for someone who loves wild places and bold colour. It's framed and ready to hang.

Prints are also available here.