Hiking with my friends, horseback riding with my mom, and traveling the backroads with my husband by motorcycle, has offered me great opportunities to witness my subjects. I am easily drawn to birds and the abundant plant life that can be seen ever changing with the seasons here in our fertile valley. All of the flora and fauna of my work can be found here. Some birds migrate along the Pacific Flyway, and others reside year round in Bidwell Park and urban areas.
My originals are mostly ink paintings, painted on rigid artist panels, which have a thin top layer of clay. The clay absorbs the ink, and allows for scratchboard techniques. Each original ink painting has a protective coat of artist resin, which has UV inhibitors and acts in place of glass. My custom frames are covered with patterned papers from Japan and Nepal. These papers are hand silk screened, and are called Lokta and Chiyogami. I like to make resin jewelry, using miniature archival prints of my work, as well as the leftover scraps of silk screened paper.
Meet Rachelle Montoya, a local Chico artist. She will have a booth at the at the Chico ART Festival to be held at St John’s Episcopal Church grounds on Floral Avenue, in Chico, on May 6 & 7, 2022. Friday from 4pm to 8 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.
You can connect with Rachelle on Instagram @naturepaintstudio
One thought on “Rachelle Montoya | Painting, Jewelry”