Turbulent

Resin and mixed media. 75 x 100 x 5 cm (framed)

New Zealand's geothermal parks are unlike anywhere else on earth. Mud pools bubble and spit, steam billows from cracks in the ground, and mineral deposits stain the rocks in colours that seem almost impossible. Rachel wanted to capture the unique energy she felt standing among it all: the turbulence, and the sheer variety of elements colliding in one place.

This painting is that energy set loose. Nothing sits still. Inky black and charcoal swirl through olive, sage and vivid jade green. Pale sky blue breaks through like steam clearing, while patches of brick red and blush pink flare up like heated rock. Scattered across the surface are drops of butter yellow and deep purple, like bubbles rising through a mud pool, and in one corner there's a spill of mustard and lime, spotted like mineral crust.

As with all her resin work, it looks wild, but it was planned to the second. Resin gives Rachel just four minutes before it sets as hard as rock, so every colour and every pour had to be decided in advance. The result has a glassy, liquid depth that makes the whole surface feel as if it's still moving.

It's bold and restless, full of drama. It's a painting for someone who loves the raw power of the natural world and wants a piece that sparks conversation. Framed and ready to hang, it would be striking in a contemporary living space, a stairwell, or a large open-plan room.