Yellow Flow

Huka Falls in New Zealand is an exhilarating vision. A narrow gorge where a vast volume of water forces its way through, thundering over the edge in a churning mass of white. It inspired a whole body of Rachel's work. But in this painting she let go of the local colour and turned her attention to the colours of the foliage and fauna that cling to life around the falls. Instead of the famous icy blue, she chose gold, ochre and moss green, taking the piece away from a record of a place and towards pure abstraction. What remains is the feeling of the falls: the force, the movement, the roar.

A band of warm golden yellow glows across the top. Below it, the water breaks into white foam, full of swirling eddies and whirlpools, with one great spiral at the centre that pulls your eye straight in. Then comes a deep, dark drop, and at the bottom the colour returns in rich greens and ribbons of gold, flowing and branching like water finding its way downstream.

As with all of Rachel's resin work, it looks free and fluid but was carefully planned. Resin gives her 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 depth that makes the gold glow as if lit from within.

It's dramatic yet strangely calming, a painting you can lose yourself in. With its rich golds and greens, it would bring warmth and energy to a living room, a study, or a hallway that catches the morning light.