Q: Please introduce yourself and tell us what makes your work unique. (Question from Bold Journey)
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 inspired by Bolivian Carnival masks and Latin American folk art. For more than 40 years, I have been committed to elevating pastel as a fine art medium.
My blog, Barbara Rachko’s Colored Dust, has 229,000 subscribers, and I’m the subject of the documentary Barbara Rachko: True Grit, available on YouTube. My e-book, From Pilot to Painter, tells my story of moving from Navy Commander, commercial pilot, and Boeing-727 Flight Engineer to professional artist.
My work has been developed into three major series—Domestic Threats, Black Paintings, and Bolivianos. In 2023, I was featured in a documentary that premiered at the Newport Beach Film Festival, winning both the Audience Award and Best in Category.
Comments are welcome!
Posted on April 4, 2026, in 2026, France, Quotes and tagged artist, Audience Award, available, “Barbara Rachko: True Grit”, “Barbara Rachko’s Colored Dust”, “Black Paintings”, “Bolivianos”, “Domestic Threats”, “From Pilot to Painter”, Best in Category Award, Boeing-727, Bold Journey, Bolivian, Carnival, Christine Marchal, commercial pilot, committed, contemporary, developed, documentary, e-book, elevating, featured, fine art, flight engineer, folk art, France, Giacometti, inspired, introduce, Latin American, medium, moving, Navy Commander, New York City, Newport Beach Film Festival, painter, paintings, pastel, pastel-on-sandpaper, premiered, professional, question, series, St. Paul de Vence, subject, subscribers, unique, winning, yourself, YouTube. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
barbararachkoscoloreddust.com 
Congratulations on all your accomplishments! Great to hear.
Catherine
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Thank you, Catherine.
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