Rachel Hannan: On the Edge. July 10 – August 1

We walk through the wilderness in all weather and varying times of the day.  He is fearless and excited, climbing boulders, taunting me with hanging over the abyss. I am fascinated by the exquisitely delicate flora thriving in the unrelenting elements, juxtaposed with the giant, gaping vastness of the valleys and rising mountains across the aching space. We feel free and safe in these places. In the studio I relive this experience, recreating the energy and sense of wonder found in these ancient, transformative places. I work quickly and intuitively, completing most pieces in one sitting. This way the work has an immediacy and integrity to it, having been made in a single moment in time, much like the fleeting visions caught in the landscape as the clouds shift, the light fluctuates and the whole world seems to dance with the wind”.

-Rachel Hannan 2021

On the edge of cliffs, surrounding her home in the Blue Mountains, Rachel is fascinated by the exquisitely delicate flora thriving in the unrelenting elements, juxtaposed with the giant, gaping vastness of the valleys and rising mountains. Her paintings are heavily focused on cloud formations and spectacular sunsets, wilderness, concepts of the sublime, and the study of light, movement and colour, successfully capturing the effect of boundlessness.
In Rachel’s paintings, the beholder’s experience of awe is generated by a sense of vastness signalled by the show-stealing Blue Mountains, contorted trees, the beauty of wildflowers and birds that abound. She experiments with different views, colour palettes, and perspectives to produce a comprehensive look at the mountain and its surrounding landscape.

The persuasive power of Rachel’s painted landscapes is enormous. Rachel’s love and personal vision of the Blue Mountains, and her study of nature, transfer a personal creative vision to the canvas. Her artworks promote a greater understanding of the beauty and complexity of elements that comprise the mountains ecosystems. Rachel possesses a creative impulse making artwork that expresses her love of nature as part of a larger worldview.

She draws attention to nature by skilfully portraying natural scenery as beautiful or intriguing. Vast tracts of previously pristine wilderness expressed an awareness of his need to be connected with wild spaces
to paint it is to look ever more deeply into the mysterious intricacies of the natural realm: the elements, rock features, water, sky, and plant life.

Words can’t describe these stunning paintings. As evident in these contemporary landscape paintings, Rachel has taken her cues from an ancient past to create contemporary landscape art that is inspired and energetic, highly original and stunningly beautiful!