McIver Women's Baths - Coogee Painting

Colour, movement, patterns, memory, connection – These are the elements Rachel Rae captures in her paintings. Rachel Rae is following in the footsteps of multi generations of artists with creativity as part of her DNA. After leaving her job in publishing, relocating to Spain with her family and living in an apartment overlooking the ocean, she committed her time to developing her art practice. Since returning to Sydney she has become awestruck at the colours of the Australian landscape. Being an avid traveller and walker, Rachel Rae witnesses many life moments which is the inspiration for her artwork, painting personal records of flora, fauna, people, and landscapes. Living in Sydney near the beach Rachel finds inspiration in the ocean pools and rocky coastline. However being born in Melbourne and spending holidays at Anglesea, she often spends time painting the Surfcoast along the Great Ocean Road. The light, colour pallets and weather are often different but the common theme is the coastline and the ocean. Rachel Rae paints in acrylics, expressively adding a depth of colour – A simple rock can be a rainbow of colours and the water is a series of patterns. Quickly highlighting the movement of the landscape through her brushstrokes in a stationary painting, Rachel is fascinated by the movement of nature contrasting with the static man-made objects and how humans, animals and nature co-exist. By spending the time to paint the smaller details and minutiae, it allows for reflection during the process and she often wonders what the people in her paintings are thinking. Painting personal artworks of past and present experiences Rachel creates memory and connection to the vibrant colour and uniqueness of the world around us.