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RACHEL KOH | Opalescent III
ARTIST | Rachel Koh
BASED IN | Singapore
TITLE | Opalescent III
SIZE | 150 x 210mm
This trio of butterflies is inked with colour-shifting pigments, their subtleties revealed by observing the pieces in different and changing lighting. I hope that the time, attention and various angles required to view the many nuances is a small reminder to afford the same consideration to enjoying other experiences in life.
MEDIUM | Gouache, metallic watercolour, soft and pan pastels, rhinestones on paper
PRICE | Not for sale.
ARTIST | Rachel Koh
BASED IN | Singapore
TITLE | Opalescent III
SIZE | 150 x 210mm
This trio of butterflies is inked with colour-shifting pigments, their subtleties revealed by observing the pieces in different and changing lighting. I hope that the time, attention and various angles required to view the many nuances is a small reminder to afford the same consideration to enjoying other experiences in life.
MEDIUM | Gouache, metallic watercolour, soft and pan pastels, rhinestones on paper
PRICE | Not for sale.
ARTIST | Rachel Koh
BASED IN | Singapore
TITLE | Opalescent III
SIZE | 150 x 210mm
This trio of butterflies is inked with colour-shifting pigments, their subtleties revealed by observing the pieces in different and changing lighting. I hope that the time, attention and various angles required to view the many nuances is a small reminder to afford the same consideration to enjoying other experiences in life.
MEDIUM | Gouache, metallic watercolour, soft and pan pastels, rhinestones on paper
PRICE | Not for sale.
Greens and blues are my favourite shades, so this butterfly was one of my favourite to ink. The colourshift in this butterfly is probably the most subtle but also most varied out of the trio. Green dominates the colour palette, especially when contrasted with the reds.
This was meant to be a closeup shot of the bottom set of wings, but after taking the first shot, I paused for a lunch break and during that time, the sun dimmed, so you can actually see a little of the colourshift in the background – the flowers of the top wings are now purple, and the red has turned to bronze.
This shot is the one that shows the colourshift most clearly – the green has shifted into blue, teal and purple, and the red tones have shifted to a rich golden. At the ends of the flowers on the top wings, it is even closer to a pink than purple. It always amazes her how many ways there are to view these butterflies.
About the artist
A writer and aesthete at heart, Rachel has always been in love with words. Rachel’s love for calligraphy started from a hobby discovered in 2016. Charmed by the slow & mindful writing process required by the dip pen and the rich history behind the craft, her interests grew to include scripts in traditional scripts with modern applications, flourishing, illustrations, watercolour botanicals, and more recently, engraving. Distinctive of her work is the combination of modern whimsy with the elegance and timelessness of traditional calligraphy. Rachel’s love for the art of writing grew, and the year that she took off work in 2018 to venture into calligraphy full time eventually turned into four.
Rachel’s instagram moniker “phosphenes”, referring to lights behind closed eyes, gives a clue about her approach to art. To her, phosphenes are associated with the imagination. What she creates comes from the wellspring of her imagination, and is also inspired by the play of light and colour, which stems from her interest in the impressionist art movement.