Rachel Teannalach is a contemporary landscape painter whose work is characterized by bold, gestural brushstrokes and her ability to evoke the emotional quality of the places she paints. She is known for her "tinyExpanse" daily paintings as well as large scale landscapes. Teannalach believes in art's ability to connect people and causes they believe in. For over a decade, Teannalach has collaborated with local and regional conservation organizations, supporting their efforts to preserve the lands she loves to paint. She has worked with Conservation Voters of Idaho, Idaho Conservation League, Advocates for the West, Idaho Rivers United, Winter Wildlands Alliance, the Sawtooth Society, and more. She also uses her work to promote other types of non-profits including the Agency for New Americans, Idaho Youth Ranch, and Surel's Place. Teannalach works in an "ala prima" style, which means "at the first attempt". Her fresh, expressive style places the viewer right in the experience of a specific time and place. Teannalach's work is guided by the belief that the observation of nature revives our recognition of beauty and restores our sense of belonging in the natural world.
Rachel Teannalach is a Boise-based landscape painter working primarily in oil on linen and repurposed plywood. Her works often utilize other media, particularly charcoal and oil pastel. Originally from northern New Mexico, she has painted extensively in Northern California and throughout the west.
Teannalach grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico. She attended Scripps College for Women, part of the Claremont College consortium, where she graduated with a BA in Fine Arts in 2003 and was awarded the Booker Prize in Painting by Professor Enrique Martinez Celaya at Pomona College. She also studied at the painting program at the Glasgow School of Art and Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy.
After graduating, Teannalach spent six years in Marin County, where she painted primarily Plein Air landscapes. In 2009, Teannalach moved to Idaho in search of a quieter life than the Bay Area provided, and a return to a high desert landscape more akin to that of her childhood. She resides in Boise's East end with her husband, two young daughters, Mairead and Saoirse, and their dog, Chilly.
A fun fact - Teannalach's artwork was gifted by Boise Mayor McLean and the City of Boise to President Biden on his 2021 visit to Boise!
Teannalach's work has been featured by Pottery Barn, Serena and Lily, One King's Lane, and Western Home Journal. It is in the collections of Sun Valley Resorts, the cities of Boise, Ketchum, and Nampa, and many private residences and organizations throughout the United States and abroad. Teannalach received a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts at Scripps College, Claremont, and studied painting at the Studio Art Centers International (Florence, Italy) and at the Glasgow School of Art (Glasgow, Scotland).
For over a decade, Teannalach has collaborated with local and regional conservation organizations, supporting their efforts to preserve the lands she loves to paint. She has worked with Conservation Voters of Idaho, Idaho Conservation League, Advocates for the West, Idaho Rivers United, Winter Wildlands Alliance, the Sawtooth Society, and more. She also uses her work to promote other non-profits including the Agency for New Americans, Idaho Youth Ranch, and Surel's Place.
She is represented by Echo Arts in Bozeman and Capitol Contemporary Art in Boise.
