Rainforest With Tropical Birds

Mixed media on canvas · 102 x 102cm

This is a painting you could step into. Rachel built it in layer upon layer of printed, painted and cut leaf shapes, so the rainforest seems to go on and on behind itself. There are monstera leaves, pale palm fronds you can see straight through, and a flash of red heliconia, all against a clear, hot blue sky.

Then you notice the birds. A little yellow-breasted bird sits tucked in among the leaves, and a long-tailed beauty perches just below it, almost hidden. That's the joy of this piece: it rewards you slowly, just like a real walk through the forest, where you only see what's there once you stand still.

At over a metre square, it's a true statement piece. The greens are fresh and alive, and it would bring a sense of warmth and escape to a living room, a hallway or a garden room, even on the greyest Cornish day.