Animal Stories: Wildlife Works by the Storey Sisters
by Julie Storey Malone and Amy Storey Rattner

Once upon a time there lived two sisters, Julie and Amy Storey, who shared a passion for art and animals. They grew up in the hills outside of Salinas, California with a host of adopted animals, including beloved dogs, cats, turtles, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, a horse and even a desert tortoise who arrived one day and stayed for several years. Julie and Amy considered every adopted animal a member of their family and spent countless hours drawing and painting them together. Julie, the older sister, was born an artist. From a young age, she displayed remarkable artistic talent, and her work inspired joy and admiration in all who saw it. Amy was her sister’s biggest fan. She would watch Julie draw, then attempt to do the same and wind up disappointed. Amy, according to her parents and teachers, was talented with words. But she didn’t love words the way she loved art, and she longed to make art that was as beautiful and inspired as her sister’s. 

Julie majored in fine art at UC Davis, perfecting her art under the tutelage of master artist Wayne Thiebaud. After college, she married, had three children and settled into a home in the Salinas hills. Julie’s lifelong passion for animals continued, and her family always included numerous adopted animals and the wildlife that lived in the hills that bordered her home. Her family, both human and animal, kept her busy, but she would return to her art every so often. As her children grew, Julie returned to making art and took workshops from talented artists such as Nancy Hillis and Angus Wilson. Her incredible artistic talent never left her, and her work is still as beautifully effortless as it has always been.  

After studying English at Stanford University, Amy began her career as a technical writer and graphic designer for the university. She married and worked as a graphic designer until her second pregnancy, when she rediscovered her passion for fine art while on bed rest. She began taking local art classes and developed a daily art practice. Over the following years, she continued taking classes and workshops with master artists such as Christopher Schink, Skip Lawrence, Angus Wilson, Nancy Hillis and Michael Azgour. Today, Amy works as a professional artist and exhibits her work at Viewpoints Gallery in Los Altos and at Art Bias in San Carlos. Her work belongs to collections across the US and Europe and has exhibited in galleries in Santa Fe, Carmel, San Francisco and across the Bay Area. Her art has appeared in magazines such as Art and Color 365, Palette Magazine, Southwest Art and Mountain Home and her current collection was featured in the July 17th edition of Palo Alto Weekly and the Menlo Park Almanac.

This exhibition tells the story of two sisters who took divergent paths but grew up with the same abiding love of animals and making art. They both share their late mom’s love of Japanese art and design, as well as the bold, vibrant and graphic work of Matisse, Hockney and John Nieto, among others. Today, Julie and Amy are still best friends and continue to inspire and encourage each other in every aspect of their lives, including (but not limited to) their art.