Clik here to view.
Q: What’s on the easel today?
“Gatecrasher,” signed on the lower right A: I finally finished “Gatecrasher,” 58” x 38,” soft pastel on sandpaper. This pastel painting is number thirty-three in the “Bolivianos” series. Comments are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed...
“She Embraced It and Grew Stronger,” 2003, the first pastel painting I completed after Bryan was killed A: The deepest wound was losing Bryan on 9/11. I resolved not to become another victim of that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: Please introduce yourself and tell us what makes your work unique....
With a Giacometti at Fondation Maeght, St. Paul de Vence, France; Photo: Christine Marchal A: I am a contemporary painter based in New York City, best known for large pastel-on-sandpaper paintings...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: You started the Bolivianos series in 2017. It has been 8 years since you...
Barbara’s Studio A: My first series, Domestic Threats, lasted fifteen years, and my second, Black Paintings, lasted ten. Stability and related qualities are likely natural parts of my personality,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: You take 3-4 months to complete one artwork. How do you plan a series such...
Source material for “The Champ” and “Avenger.” See https://barbararachko.art/bolivianos/ A: Bolivianos is my third series, and like the previous two, it naturally evolves from one painting to the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: You read books on Friedrich Nietzsche and other philosophers. How has...
Above the Andes on final approach to La Paz, Bolivia A: It’s difficult to pinpoint how philosophy specifically shaped my work because my curiosity spans so many subjects. Some critics have described...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: Would you please share your current bio?
In the studio A: Here it is. Barbara Rachko, born in 1953 in Paterson, New Jersey, is a contemporary painter based in New York City, renowned for her large pastel-on-sandpaper paintings inspired by...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: Do you have any big projects coming up?
With “Apparition,” soft pastel on sandpaper, 58” x 38” image, 70” x 50” framed A: I certainly do! I have been a painter for forty years, and for most of that time, my work has been shaped by foreign...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: What’s on the easel today?
My next project! A. I am starting another “Bolivianos” pastel painting. It’s hard to believe, but this is number 34 in the series! This body of work began in 2017 and the paintings continue to keep...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: You use so many pastels in your work. Do you have a favorite?
Barbara’s Studio A: When people ask if I have a favorite pastel among the thousands in my studio, I am quick to answer, “Rembrandt black pastel!” This is the single color that I use the most. I buy...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pearls from artists* # 641
In the Studio *an ongoing series of quotations – mostly from artists, to artists – that offers wisdom, inspiration, and advice for the sometimes lonely road we are on. Artistic voice is the most...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: What lies in the future for you? (Question from “Cultured Focus Magazine”)
Museum of Ethnography and Folklore, La Paz, Bolivia A: I still have so much to say and share through my work! First, I want to continue creating and adding to the “Boliviano” series of pastel...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: Are there any artists you admire? (Question from “Cultured Focus” Magazine)
“Henri Matisse: Forms in Freedom,” The National Arts Center, Tokyo, Japan A: Among historical painters, I adore Henri Matisse and André Derain, for their striking compositions and bold use of colors....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: Are there any artists whose work you particularly admire? (Question from...
Henri Matisse: Forms in Freedom at the National Art Center Tokyo A: Among historical painters, I adore Henri Matisse and André Derain, for their striking compositions and bold use of colors. Among...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: How large is your collection of Mexican folk art objects?
Part of my collectionA: I began collecting these figures in the early 1990s. I haven’t counted them, but my guess is that I have amassed around 200 pieces of various sizes. This includes some...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: How has photography changed your approach to painting?
Untitled chromogenic print, 24″ x 24″ on 30″ x 40″ Fujicolor crystal archives paper, edition of 5 A: From the beginning in the 1980s I used photographs as reference material and my late husband, Bryan,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: Can you elaborate on the title of your very first series, “Domestic Threats”?
“Myth Meets Dream,” soft pastel on sandpaper, 60” x 50,” 1993; part of the Domestic Threats” series A: All of the paintings in this series are set in places where I reside or used to live, either a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: Would you share a bit more about yourself? (Question from “Bold Journey”)
With “Wise One,” Soft Pastel on Sandpaper, 70” x 50” framed A: I am an American contemporary Master Pastel Artist who divides my time between residences in New York City and Alexandria, VA. I am best...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: When did you begin seriously studying photography?
Catalogue from 2009 solo exhibition at HP Garcia, New York, NY A: After I lost my husband, Bryan, on 9/11 – as I’ve discussed elsewhere, Bryan photographed most of the setups for my “Domestic Threats”...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Q: What makes you just want to run back to the studio and start something new?
View of Lower Manhattan A: I always work in series, which means that one pastel painting generally leads into the next. Considerable thought and planning go into each one before I begin, so it would...
View Article
![[-100%] Commodity Intelligence – (Android Apps)](http://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/j67-qJvmnn4xnVlYVZ9ZhtZUJIgwjKekJGoKQT6D1KHcWGZxtQaFroummEvwV17na7tyh1pGbbeWCRdWtTKqeg=w950-h950)
