Art | Rae West

You may remember, when I showed you images of our finished kitchen last year, that I was on the hunt for a piece of art with maximum impact for the wall opposite our back door. Most of our guests use the front door, but the back door is the one that my family and close friends use, and I wanted something amazing to greet us when we entered.

Don't you love those times in your life when things unexpectedly fall into your lap?! Towards the end of last year I got a Facebook message from a local artist, Rae West, introducing herself, and she attached images of some of her pieces. They were amazing, and just what I had been looking for. I arranged to visit Rae's studio and ended up commissioning her to create a piece for our home.

As you can see from my previous blog post I love this colour palette - deep inky blues, turquoise, teal, and just a hint of magenta. I absolutely love my tondo that Rae created. My photos don't do it justice, in reality it's even more rich and mysterious and so striking with a beautiful glossy finish.

Rae has been working in this new medium of acrylic inks and resin for the past year. It really suited the direction she wanted her painting to develop, from the subjective to a more abstract expression of colour. She uses multiple veils of pigment, resin and at times gold leaf which blend and react against each other creating beautiful forms and textures.

If you live in Hawke's Bay you can view the magic of Rae's work for yourself at the a+e gallery on Hastings Street in Napier next month. The Solo Show PULSE will run from the 24th February until the 14th March. Everyone is welcome to come to the opening night from 5-7pm on Wednesday February 24th.

If you're not in the Bay, never fear, here's a full list of galleries that stock Rae West's art: 
Black Door Gallery, Parnell • Flagstaff Gallery, Devonport • Moko Gallery, Hot Water Beach • Inspirit Gallery, Cambridge • Soul Gallery, Hamilton • Kura Gallery, Taupo • a+e Gallery, Napier • Ora Gallery, Wellington • Little River Gallery, Christchurch • Vesta Design Store, Queenstown • Art Bay Gallery, Queenstown.

Of course you can also visit Rae in her Clive studio by appointment. You'll find her Fox Street Gallery at 11 Fox Street, Clive - a picturesque part of Hawke's Bay. Phone for an appointment on 021 287 3275 or 06 870 1070, or you can drop her an email - raewest@xtra.co.nz.