Internationally Renowned Pastel Artist and Recipient of the Manhattan Arts International Special Recognition Art Award
Barbara Rachko barbararachko.art is a contemporary painter based in New York City, known internationally for revolutionizing the art of pastel. Her large pastel-on-sandpaper paintings are inspired by Bolivian Carnival masks and Latin American folk art.
For more than 40 years, she has been committed to elevating pastel as a fine art medium.
In 2017 Barbara began work on a series titled “Bolivianos”, using as source material her stunning photographs of a mask exhibition at the Museum of Ethnography and Folklore in La Paz.
Her art not only reflects cultural norms of the past, it also speaks a universal, timeless language of emotions and ideas that will continue to resonate across decades.
Barbara has attracted numerous collectors, has been featured in many publications and her blog “Barbara Rachko’s Colored Dust”, has more than 229,000 subscribers.
This interview is a compilation of Barbara’s answers from topics on her blog and articles published on this website, renee-phillips.com, healing-power-of-art.org, and other sources. You can view more of her art on her page in our online gallery.
Oblate, soft pastel on sandpaper, 20″ x 26″ image, 28.5″ x 35″ framed. This painting was selected for the Manhattan Arts International “HerStory” 2026 Exhibition.
What do you love most about being an artist?
There are so many things to enjoy! I make my own schedule, set my own tasks, and follow new interests wherever they may lead. I am curious about everything and am rarely bored. I continually push my pastel technique and strive to become a better artist. There is still so much to learn!
My studio is an oasis in a chaotic city, a place to make art, to read, and to think. I love walking in the door in the morning. It’s my favorite place in New York City!
My relationship with collectors is another perk. I love to see pastel paintings hanging on collectors’ walls, especially when they’re newly installed and the owners are excited to take possession. This means that the piece has found a good home, that years of hard work have come full circle! And it’s often the start of a long friendship.
Apparition, soft pastel on sandpaper, 58″ x 38″ image, 70″ x 50″ framed
Tell us something about your unique, extraordinary “science of color”
The acid-free sandpaper allows me to slowly and meticulously build up 25 to 30 layers of pastel. In addition to the thousands of pastels that I have to choose from, I make new colors directly on the paper. Regardless of size, each pastel painting takes hundreds of hours and about four months to complete.
In February 2026 Barbara traveled to Bolivia with a small film-crew to experience Carnival for the first time, to learn about its profound meaning, and to create another documentary film. In Oruro, she met and attended Carnival as a guest of Rodrigo Paz, the President of Bolivia. Both are shown in the picture above.
Barbara also interviewed Dario Andrés Zaratti Chevarría, the Vice Minister of Culture, and Hernán Iván Arias Durán, the Mayor of La Paz, for the film.
How do you think your recent trip to Bolivia will affect your work?
I know from past trips that there is always a long gestation period as I reflect on colorful new experiences, new sights, sounds, etc. My 3-1/2 weeks in Bolivia were non-stop, intense, and just full of so many high points.
Bolivia is a fascinating country with profound cultural riches, and exceptionally warm and welcoming people. I experienced new friendships and events that were way beyond anything I could have imagined. In short, there’s a lot to process!
Barbara’s works in progress.
I am deliberately selecting more vibrant colors and bumping up the contrast and drama in the painting “Gatecrasher” (on the right), which is still in progress. It needs a lot of detail work before it’s finished. The small pastel painting on the left is only a few days old. It’s the first painting I’m creating from photographs taken during my February trip to Bolivia.
We shall see what new work is created over the coming months and years. For now, it’s exciting to be reenergized and to have new subject matter with which to work.
Raconteur, soft pastel on sandpaper, 58″ x 38″. This painting was selected for “The Healing Power of Color”, an exhibition presented on our other website The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS in 2025.
Do you have an essential philosophy that guides you in your creative expression?
Here are my two essential philosophies:
1. Give it all you’ve got and keep going. I wrote this years ago on a piece of paper and tacked it onto the wall behind my easel so I can always see it.
2. Excellence can be attained if you… care more than others think is wise…risk more than others think is safe… dream more than others think is practical… expect more than others think is possible.” This is on a small plaque, also tacked on the wall behind my easel. A co-worker gave this to me when I resigned my Naval commission to pursue an art career.
What is your definition of art career success?
(From an interview with Barbara on the Renee-Phillips website titled “Interview with artist Barbara Rachko with Valuable Advice to Artists”
A personal definition of art career success that I have enjoyed for many years is the ability to devote all of my time and energy to art-making. I am an anomaly among New York fine artists because I don’t have a day job. Also, I am free of family and other responsibilities so I can devote significant time to exploring what it means to be an artist in New York in 2026.
Barbara, I appreciate that you took time from your busy schedule for this interview. I also want to thank you for participating in the Manhattan Arts International “HerStory” 2026 Exhibition (May 14 – July 14). Who is your favorite female artist from art history and why?
Leonora Carrington. Besides the fact that I can never get enough of her work (including her writing) – I first encountered Leonora’s paintings at a Mexico City museum in 1991 – we were fellow gallery artists at Brewster Fine Arts in the 1990s. Leonora came to my first New York solo exhibition in October 1996. The following year, I attended her 80th birthday celebrations at Brewster and at Sotheby’s. I remember Leonora as laconic, which to me, always seems a natural characteristic for a visual artist.
Visit Barbara Rachko’s page on Manhattan Arts International
Visit Barbara Rachko’s website barbararachko.art
Visit her blog barbararachkoscoloreddust.com
Also read Barbara Rachko’s Life and Art After 9/11 on The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS website.
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