About the Curator: Yelley

...aka Danielle Rauto. I've been working as a freelance artist & designer since 2005, but my true compass points to Fine Art, Gallery Exhibition and Museum Studies. My education is in Studio Arts (Bachelors Fine Art 2005 from SDSU), which contributed to many amazing experiences working and volunteering in museums & galleries, designing & installing exhibits, and archiving permanent collections. This is where my love for curating began.

My love for art, science and all things naturey however, must have been present at birth. As a kid I was always picked to draw the amoebas in science class, and made the most accurate scale model of a California mission in 5th grade history. I remember my first venture as a budding naturalist - debating with my kindergarten teacher about the feeding habits of Orcas- I realized that I was probably more passionate about the facts of the universe than the people around me. From then on, I've followed my own path of discovery in search of truth and beauty, cataloging curiosities along the way.

VEDA is named after my daughter Ellis Veda who inspired me to spring all my passions into action. She's trapped in a tiny body but she's a wise old soul who has shown me what I am capable of and given me a full heart. With the support of my daughter and husband Ron, I've created Veda Art + Objects to exhibit some of my favorite finds, hoping that the love will spread quickly and inspire others on their own journey.

Likes: Carl Sagan, Bigfoot, Bad Religion, Glitter, Dr. Pepper, Tetris, Drawings of girls, Rocks, Evolution, Bugs, Owls, Tattoos, Succulents, Delftware, Adventure, David Bowie, My Poison Dart Frog Vivarium, Deep Nature Sh*t (aka hiking), Museums, People with Animal Heads, Scrabble, National Geographic, Pandora Radio, Elephants, Lost Boys, Space, Traveling, Space Travel...