Meet the Artist

An avid artist since she could hold a paintbrush, Rachel Ankirskiy is a mostly self-taught artist based out of Athens, GA. Born and raised in Middle Georgia, she was immersed in artistic endeavors beginning in her pre-school years. She obtained her BA in Linguistics from the University of Georgia, followed by her MA in Linguistics while working full-time. She finds producing art personally rewarding, and currently works mainly in watercolor, gouache, oil, and acrylic with a focus on landscape paintings, nature, and animal portraits.

Rachel has been interested in language, art, and other cultures from an early age, and these combined interests influence her art. In middle and high school, she entered and won awards in local and national shows. In college she continued to hone her artistic skills, always keeping a sketchbook handy. While studying abroad in Japan, she sketched in the open air or ‘en plein air’ at parks and cultural sites. In 2022, her plein air watercolor landscape, “Bear Sighting at Dockery Lake”, was juried into the Lyndon House 47th Juried Show in Athens, GA standing out as the only traditional landscape painting. In 2023, her oil landscape, “Guardian”, and acrylic landscape, “Sentinel”, were accepted into the Lyndon House 48th Juried Show in Athens, GA. Her plein air watercolor landscape of the Ocmulgee River, “Swirling Serenity”, was juried into the 2023 Georgia Watercolor Society’s National Exhibition in Blue Ridge, GA. Eight of her pieces (4 acrylic, 1 oil, and 3 watercolor) were juried into the 2023 Georgia National Fair’s Fine Art Show (Professional Category) In October 2023, she held a joint show with her brother, Joshua Hatfield, at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia in Athens, GA. In 2024 she received two merit awards for her acrylic paintings juried into the 2024 Georgia National Fair's Fine Art Show (Professional Category). Her watercolor landscape “Reflections on Hitchiti Trail” is currently on display in the Art of Georgia IV: Landscapes exhibition at the State of Georgia Capitol until January 2025.

On the weekends you can find Rachel at a local or state park painting ‘en plein air’, braving the natural elements to capture the essence of the natural world in an impressionistic style. She also works in her small studio space surrounded by her art, where she produces larger and more detailed pieces. Her paintings focus on the interplay of light, shadow, and color in the natural world. Her respect for the natural world doesn’t stop at trees and water; her pet portraits are very personal, capturing each pet’s unique personality. Her artworks, including several commissions, hang in private collections around the world. She is currently working on a series of watercolor landscape paintings inspired by photos and sketches she made in Japan, and a series of oil and acrylic paintings reflecting on the importance of nature.

Rachel’s original paintings can be purchased directly. She is also available for commissions. (Note that this website is a portfolio; not all paintings are available.)