Board of Investment Art – Build, Manage, and Grow Your Art Investments

Ticker Symbol: ML37QU

Bio: Barbara Rachko was born in Paterson, New Jersey and grew up in a New York City suburb. After college, Barbara earned a commercial pilot’s license and Boeing 727 flight engineer’s certificate, then spent seven years on active duty as a Naval officer. In 1986 while working at the Pentagon, she began to study figure drawing and medical anatomy, and began many long years of developing her craft. Barbara subsequently resigned from active duty (but remained in the Navy Reserve and retired as a Commander) to devote herself to making art. On 9/11 Barbara’s life was changed forever when her husband, Dr. Bryan C. Jack, was killed on the plane that hit the Pentagon. Dividing her time between residences in New York and Alexandria, Virginia, Barbara enjoys a busy career as a professional artist. She is represented by six galleries throughout the United States, exhibits nationally and internationally, and continues to win accolades, including a 2008 – 2009 Joyce Dutka Arts Foundation award, for her unique work.

Influences: The BLACK PAINTINGS series of pastel-on-sandpaper paintings grew out of my DOMESTIC THREATS series (which evolved and reached a conclusion after approximately fifteen years). The new series continues my use of Mexican folk art—masks, carved wooden animals, papier mâché figures, and toys—as surrogates for human beings acting in highly-charged narratives. But now the figures (actors) take central stage. All background details, furniture, rugs, etc. have been eliminated and are replaced with a dark black background. The initial idea for BLACK PAINTINGS emerged from my study of jazz history, especially the modification of bebop by Miles Davis into cool jazz. In bebop the notes are played hard and fast as musicians demonstrate their technical virtuosity. Cool jazz is a much more relaxed style with far fewer notes being played. The music is pared down to its essential elements. My new series parallels this. It evolved from complex and dense visual compositions to paintings in which I emphasize the actors. Begun in 2007, this series is my most personal body of work to date. The black background symbolizes death, chaos, and confusion. The actors are emerging from a deeply painful state. It is still with them but it is somehow now also behind them. Similarly my current work comes out of deep pain. It reflects my life as a 9/11 widow. Please see www.barbararachko.com for images and more information.

Education: University of Vermont

Past Exhibits: Please see www.barbararachko.com for current cv

Awards Won: Please see www.barbararachko.com

Articles written/Press Recieved: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-gascot/emdomestic-threatsem_b_630102.html;http://brownpaperaircraft.blogspot.com/2010/06/barbara-rachko.html

Notable Collectors: N/A

Public Installations? No
N/A