Rachel Diaz-Bastin is a local Bay-Area based artist and life-long California resident. She is a graduate of UC Davis, where she earned her degree in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology. Currently working as a curatorial assistant in the entomology department of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco (a job which she admits has her feeling like a kid in a candy store), Rachel is surrounded by a treasure trove of insect specimens from all over the world. Many of her favorite subjects to illustrate are easily overlooked small and funny-looking creatures at the Academy, which she loves to draw both for educational purposes and with the ultimate goal of inspiring conservation action.
Her skills have a wide variety of uses, from creating fine art works for private commission to designing for researchers, conservation organizations, parks, and wildlife centers.