Rachel Estrada

Since a very early age, Rachel has had a love for painting and colors. Some of her fondest memories are those of long day trips to The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. when she was 8 years old with her three sisters and artfully nurturing mother who instilled in her a love of art and a confidence in her own ability to express herself. Frequenting the National Gallery is where her deep admiration for the Pre-Raphaelite artists, their dedication to excellence and her own passion for art began.

Throughout high school, Rachel studied the pastel medium and portraiture under portrait artist Patricia Rice and attended a workshop in New York by Master portrait artist, Daniel E. Greene.

Rachel briefly attended Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, where she intended to study nursing/medicine. But as she began drawing bones instead of memorizing them, she soon returned to her first love, which has always been painting. Rachel has studied at The Loudoun Academy of the Arts in Leesburg, Virginia, The Art League in Alexandria, Virginia, and with several award winning portrait artists, including Timothy J. Chambers. Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and shows in the Northern Virginia area.

Rachel has enjoyed many of her different commissions, including several series of ballet backdrops for local dance studios and portraits of children and adults. She also shares her love of painting through the teaching of art to young students.

Rachel has work in private collections throughout the country and is a member of the Portrait Society of America.
She is a native of Northern Virginia and resides in Leesburg with her husband, William.

For details about commissioning a portrait, please visit her website: www.rachelestradastudio.com