Rachael Buckles graduated from the University of Iowa in 2011 with a BFA in Graphic Design and Painting. Shortly after graduating she moved to Nashville, Tennessee and started her career as a graphic designer. As her career ramped up she had less and less time to dedicate to her true passion of painting. After getting married and moving out to the country in the small town of Eagleville, she and her husband started a business within the field of education. This allowed her to leave her nine to five designer job and work from home on her own schedule. This switch in her career provided time for her to pick up her paint brushes and start revitalizing the passion of something she once loved dearly.​

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Moving out to the country not only broadened her horizons in art, but also the natural world. She has always loved animals of all kinds, but she became enamored with all the creatures she was discovering among her acreage. This lead her down the path of researching, studying, and photographing all the different creatures she came in contact with. Rachael feels a close connection to each of her paintings because they are all portraits of creatures she has met in the wild and personally photographed. The moments she has shared with each of these creatures has become the motivation behind all of her work. She realized early on that many types of wildlife and insects are completely misunderstood beings. This misunderstanding leads to a lack of care, respect, and general knowledge by humans towards these creatures. 

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Through her artwork & advocacy she hopes to convey the message that every encounter we have with nature is special. All these creatures that are often overlooked or misunderstood are vitally important to various ecosystems, habitats and our planet. To her it’s simple, we must show kindness for every creature. 

 

Rachael is also active in her community through volunteering at wildlife rehabilitation facilities. She is currently in the process of getting her wildlife rehabbing license with a life goal of opening up her own wildlife rehab facility in Tennessee. Her current focus is on the rehabilitation of reptiles and amphibians, but looks forward to expanding her knowledge with other species in the future.