Exploring colors, shapes  in abstract compositions. Boundaries may intercept, overlap, negate or reinforce each other to intentionally create uncertainty. I create a world in flux, while offering viewers the opportunity to question what they see. (Left: Rachins adding details to a painting in her Jamaica Plain studio)

This collection of paintings is named from each form of Tai Chi body movements. The acknowledgement of universal forces such as gravity in the search for mind and body balance in Tai Chi, is similar to the importance and influence of gravity in the flowing inks of my paintings.

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A superb colorist, Gerri Rachins has mastered the understanding of color and the subliminal messages that it communicates. She has taught Color Theory and other courses at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts (2001-2023) and Massachusetts College of Art and Design (2001-2014). Other teaching venues have included: The Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA; New England School of Art & Design/Suffolk University, Boston, MA, and the De Young Museum, San Francisco, CA.

Gerri Rachins has been a guest speaker at several institutions including: The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Danforth Art Museum, Framingham, MA; Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; and Trustman Art Gallery, Simmons College, Boston, MA.

Her paintings, drawings, and mixed-media collages are represented in the Boston area by Mobilia Gallery  in Cambridge, MA and in New York at The Painting Center in New York City where her solo exhibition, Almost Everything Is Going Well, was featured in 2022.

Rachins’ work is as relevant today as when we first exhibited her paintings at Mobilia Gallery in 2001. The artist expertly reinvents her style with each series, blurring the lines between abstract painting, drawing and collage, always staying true to her love of color and her desire to challenge the viewer. Her paintings are as varied as her tools, her techniques range from a traditional paint brush, using her hands, and tools of her own design.

In Running Hot and Cold, Rachins’ most recent explorations involve a layered series of acrylic ink pours. The artist expertly manipulates the movement and flow of  these liquid forms and colors. Then, brushes are  loaded  with Flashe vinyl paint, gouache, or acrylic. Rachins masterfully embellishes the surface with additional intricate details, exploring  colors and shapes in vibrant, powerful, abstract compositions.

Gerri Rachins received a BFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 1977, and an MFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2001. In addition, Rachins also studied at the New York Studio School.

Rachins’ work is in numerous public and private collections including: The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; Kamm Teapot Foundation, Statesville, NC; Danforth Art Museum, Framingham, MA; Fidelity Investments, Boston, MA; Wheaton College, Norton, MA; Bain Capital, Boston, MA; Berkshire Partners, Inc., Boston, MA;  and Copelouzos Family Art Museum, Athens, Greece.