Rachel Budde, a native of Wisconsin, studied miniature painting in India and has traveled there extensively. The influences of that classical tradition are central to her technique.  Budde combines the fine brush strokes and resultant intimate detail found in classical Indian miniature illustration with contemporary socio-economic, psychological, cosmological and gender themes, along with an unsettling and occasionally morbid imagery, endowing her work, in both her small and large-scale paintings, with a unique visceral impact. Body parts, mythic creatures, and the organic and inorganic detritus of modern life all share the same visual space. Even in her largest images it is important to focus on the smallest details, perhaps a flee-sized helicopter or a floating plastic garbage bag. She works predominantly in gouache on paper, with the additions of ink and metal leaf, again referring back to the tradition of Indian illustration, while communicating a strong and unquestionably contemporary sensibility.  Budde spent a number of years working out of her studios in NYC and Brooklyn.  She received her MFA from Hunter College in New York and additionally studied in Germany. She now lives and works in the San Francisco Bay area.   Her works have been shown in galleries in New York, San Francisco and Portland. Or.  www.RachelBudde.com