R.B. Matteson
Rachel B. Matteson grew up in the mountains of New York, and sailed for a number of years on the inland sea of Iowa. She received formal art instruction through Cornell University, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the University of Iowa.
She tells in her own words of her interest in picture books:
“As a child, like many children, pictures books and books with pictures drew my attention. I loved to draw and loved color. I found making pictures was not only fun, but sometimes a way to enhance some sentiment I had wished to share with others, or to communicate things that were difficult to verbalize, or to create a world that I could direct. I drew many horses, and little mice having tea parties, my stuffed animals, flowers, the view out my window. I made greeting cards. If I was unable to verbally defend myself from a bothersome sibling, I would draw a picture of my defense plan. A serious interest in combining pictures with stories was sparked when I studied 13-16th c. Flemish, German, and Italian art, along with earlier Celtic illuminated manuscripts. There was a narrative aspect to them. As my own life story began to weave itself with its truths, triumphs, and mistakes, the importance and potency of stories as a way to communicate and share ideas that touch us all became more meaningful. Becoming a parent allowed me to re-enter the world of children’s books, and with the mentoring of children to aide me, stoked the fires. Another influence was the Bible. What I began to read out of casual curiosity in my adult years, took on a much deeper appreciation as I became more aware of its stories and teachings, it’s poetry, it’s understanding of the human condition and God’s holiness. So, for me, combining the ideas of words with the magic of pictures is a satisfying way to illuminate—to light up, to clarify-- a story. “
She has worked in oil, watercolor, and pen and ink.