How Amy Rattner Shows Her Love for Animals Through Colorful, Expressive Paintings

In this interview for our Women in Arts Network website, we sat down with California-based wildlife artist Amy Rattner. Amy opens up about her path from a background in English and graphic design to finding her true calling as a fine artist. She shares how a watercolour class taken during her pregnancy evolved into a lifelong passion for painting animals—creatures with which she has always felt a deep connection.

Throughout the conversation, Amy discusses what fuels her creativity, ranging from personal encounters with animals in nature to her appreciation for Japanese art and the Art Deco movement. She also reflects on how experimentation keeps her work fresh and how each piece she creates tells a meaningful story. We learn that her art is more than just visually striking—it’s a way for her to express emotion, honour wildlife, and spark that same sense of wonder in others.

Amy Rattner is a wildlife artist from Woodside, California, where she lives with her husband, son and two Bernese mountain dogs. She graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and a Master of Arts (MA) in English. She began her career in graphic design before discovering her passion for fine art in 2006, while taking classes at the Pacific Art League (PAL) in Palo Alto. She has not put the brush down since. After attending an intensive water media workshop in 2013 in Taos, New Mexico, led by artists Skip Lawrence, Christopher Schink and Katherine Chang Liu, Amy discovered a new, fresh style of painting that is uniquely her own. Amy’s work is in private collections worldwide, including those in Woodside, Carmel, Santa Fe, Boston, France, and Norway.

Her work is currently available at Viewpoints Gallery in Los Altos, California and has been featured in exhibitions throughout California, at Wow! Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico and at Ugallery, a curated online gallery featuring top emerging and established artists. Amy’s artwork was featured in the January 2025 cover story of Mountain Home magazine and has been highlighted in Art and Colour 365 magazine, Art of the West, Southwest Art, Palette Magazine, the Palo Alto Weekly and the Salinas Californian newspaper.

Her work has earned five Artistic Merit awards in Art and Color 365 Magazine’s Abstract and Animal competitions in 2023, 2024 and 2025; an Honorable Mention award in the Coastal Art League’s 2024 “Anything Goes!” exhibition; Best in Show in Fusion Art’s “5th Anniversary Exhibition” in October 2020; third place in the Pacific Art League’s “95th Anniversary Exhibition” in 2017, first place in the 2016 and 2017 Redwood City Spring Art Show as well as Honorable Mention awards in national juried shows at Palo Alto’s Pacific Art League. Amy is a member of Allied Artists West, Art Bias, the Santa Clara Valley Watercolour Society, the California Art Club, the California Watercolour Association and the Association of Animal Artists.

1. What inspired you to become an artist?

I began making art as a child, spending hours drawing and painting animals alongside my sister, who was— and still is —an incredible artist. My parents loved collecting art and filled our family home in California with Japanese artefacts, screens and woodblock prints. I was particularly drawn to the work of Hokusai and Hiroshige, as well as that of David Lance Goines, whose prints first inspired my graphic design and later my fine art. I began my career as a graphic designer, working for Stanford University and then for my own graphic and web design company. During my second pregnancy, I was placed on modified bed rest. To keep busy, I enrolled in a local watercolour class and was immediately hooked.

I continued taking art classes and workshops, and soon my art practice became an integral part of my life, providing a means to process my emotions and express my passion for wildlife. When my parents purchased a home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I soon fell in love with the phenomenal work of Southwestern artists, such as John Nieto, Diana Pardue, and Glenna Goodacre, as well as master Hopi kachina carver Stetson Honyumptewa. In 2013, I took a 10-day intensive water media seminar in Taos, New Mexico, which permanently changed my approach to art. Rather than reflecting the realistic world around me, my art became a vehicle for expressing my ideas, aesthetic and style.

Each [animal] encounter feels like a gift and inspires me to capture that feeling of connectedness in my work.

Amy Rattner

2. Where do you find inspiration for your artwork?

My work is inspired by a variety of sources, including studying the work of artists I admire, taking courses or workshops that introduce me to new techniques, materials, or approaches, and spending time in nature. I find that my encounters with animals in the wild are the most compelling sources of inspiration. While walking our dogs in the California hills near my home, I often see jackrabbits, deer, hawks, owls and even coyotes. Whenever I travel, I love to seek out animal encounters of any kind, whether it’s meeting bears while hiking near Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada, taking whale-watching excursions in Hawaii, or watching sea otters float in a kelp bed off the coast of Monterey. Each encounter feels like a gift, inspiring me to capture that feeling of connectedness in my work. Learning about an animal’s spiritual role in different cultures is also a source of inspiration, and I often find myself drawn to the concept of spirit animals.

3. What role does experimentation play in your art practice?

Experimentation is essential to my art practice. I often find the direction of a new collection after spending a day experimenting with new techniques or materials. The most helpful aspect of experimentation is learning to allow the process to unfold without any expectations. Removing expectations shuts down the critical, perfectionist side of my brain, allowing the creative, curious side to take over. When I experiment, I discover new techniques and tools that often become valuable additions to my toolbox. Spending a day experimenting is frequently the most effective way for me to overcome creative blocks, as I usually feel energised and excited to implement new ideas after spending time playing and experimenting.

4. What do you hope people take away from experiencing your art?

I hope that my art reminds people of their strong connections and kinship with the animals I paint. I love seeing people feel the same excitement and enthusiasm for my subjects and hearing them share their own experiences with the animals I’ve painted. I hope that people know the personality, character and spirit of my subjects and, as a result, realise that the differences between humans and animals are not as significant as they initially thought. People often share with me their spiritual connections to a specific animal, and I believe that my work has succeeded if it reignites that passion in my viewers. I would love my job to remind people of the critical role that animals play in our ecosystems and the fact that, if we want to keep our planet healthy and functional for future generations, we must acknowledge that animals are essential to our survival.

Creating art is a meditation for me – a way to center my thoughts and feelings and dive into my imagination.

Amy Rattner

5. Are there any upcoming exhibitions or projects you’re particularly excited about?

My latest collection, “Simplicity and Elegance in Nature” will be on exhibit at Viewpoints Gallery in Los Altos, California this July. My love of Japanese art and the Art Deco movement inspires this collection. This is my first collection to feature gold leaf and collage, and I am excited to combine my love of wildlife with my passion for handmade paper. It is also a personal tribute to my late mom, who spent a year abroad in Kyoto, Japan, in college. Her lifelong love of Japanese culture and style strongly influenced my aesthetic; she taught me the value of simplicity in design, and her love of art inspired me to pursue a career as an artist.

Talking with Amy Rattner revealed to us the power and personal nature of art. We learned that creativity can emerge from various sources, such as childhood memories, time spent in nature, or simply trying something new. Amy’s love for animals shines through in her work, and she helps us see how closely connected we are to the natural world. Her story is a great reminder to follow what you love, stay curious, and enjoy the process of creating. To learn more about Amy, visit the links below.