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A Colossal report published in October 2026 profiles Rebecca Zwanzig, the Portland-based artist behind High West Wild, and her digitally made botanical and natural-history-inspired illustrations. Zwanzig says her work draws on vintage objects, art history and places she has lived; she is also developing a tarot deck and is scheduled to show work at Seattle’s Renegade Craft Fair in November.
A new Colossal profile of Rebecca Zwanzig, the Portland-based illustrator behind High West Wild, details how she combines digital tools with influences from vintage textiles, botanical art and the landscapes where she has lived. The report also says Zwanzig is designing a complete tarot deck and is scheduled to show her work at Seattle’s Renegade Craft Fair from November 20 to 22.
Zwanzig’s illustrations feature botanicals and other natural forms, including insects, crystals and shells. Colossal describes compositions shaped by symmetry and repeating patterns, with visual references to Art Nouveau and the Arts and Crafts Movement. The works bring together nostalgic motifs and the artist’s interest in natural history illustration rather than documenting a single historical style.
In comments to Colossal, Zwanzig said she begins digital pieces with hand-drawn sketches and then develops them using Procreate or Adobe Illustrator. She also sometimes uses oil painting to explore the texture of an analog medium. Her palette moves between earthy 1970s colors and saturated hues, she said, and the illustrations’ titles can refer to people she knows or admires.
The report names Starbucks, Marine Layer, Anna Sui and Free People among clients that have licensed Zwanzig’s work. It identifies the tarot deck as a personal project in progress, but does not give a release date or describe how many cards have been completed. The Seattle fair is the near-term public event identified in the report.
From Personal Influences to Licensed Work
The profile offers a look at how an illustrator’s personal references can inform commercial work. Zwanzig connects her visual language to objects encountered at family auctions and estate sales, as well as to art movements, scientific illustration and the varied landscapes of the American West and Pacific Northwest. Her client list shows that the work has also been licensed by companies in fashion, retail and hospitality.
For readers interested in illustration, the process described is a practical detail: the final images are digital, but their composition starts on paper. Zwanzig’s account also distinguishes the finished aesthetic from its sources. Vintage motifs and historical influences are part of her approach, while the images themselves are contemporary works made with current digital software.
The upcoming craft fair gives Seattle visitors a chance to encounter the work in person, while the tarot deck may extend Zwanzig’s imagery into a larger, connected project. The report does not establish when that project will be finished, so its eventual format and availability remain open.
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Kentucky Keepsakes and Art-Historical Motifs
Zwanzig told Colossal that she grew up in Kentucky and went to auctions and estate sales with her grandmother. She recalled being drawn to old plate patterns, embroidered tablecloths and vintage textiles—objects that, she said, had belonged to someone before appearing for sale. That early interest supplies a personal strand of the nostalgia in her current work.
She is now based in Portland, Oregon, after living in Washington’s mountains and Nevada’s desert. Colossal reports that these places, alongside her interest in Victorian-era patterns, folk art and scientific botanical art, inform her illustrations. Zwanzig also cited the typography and design of the 1960s and 1970s. The profile compares aspects of her patterned compositions with William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement, and notes natural-history references such as Lorenz Oken’s illustrated work and The Hudson Transparencies.
Her background includes early interests in graphic design and oil painting. The continued use of hand sketches and occasional oil work connects those interests to a practice that now often relies on digital illustration tools.
“I was always drawn to the patterns on old plates, the embroidery on tablecloths, vintage textiles, and all of these little objects and keepsakes that had clearly belonged to someone and had a life before they ended up there.”
— Rebecca Zwanzig, speaking to Colossal
Tarot Deck Details Still Pending
Colossal says Zwanzig is working on a complete tarot deck, but the report provides no completion date, publication plan or sales information. It is also not clear whether the deck will be released independently, through a publisher or in another format.
The source identifies a Renegade Craft Fair appearance in Seattle for November 20–22, 2026, but does not specify which days Zwanzig will attend, what works or products she will bring, or whether there will be related events. The report also does not provide details about the licensing arrangements with the named clients.
Seattle Fair and Project Updates
The next dated event in the report is the Renegade Craft Fair in Seattle, November 20–22. Readers planning to attend should check the fair’s own listings for current exhibitor and schedule information; Colossal’s report does not provide those details.
Zwanzig’s tarot deck remains in development, with no announced release timetable in the source material. Colossal points readers to High West Wild’s Instagram for updates and additional work. Any publication, launch or further exhibition plans have not been confirmed in the report.
Key Questions
Who is Rebecca Zwanzig?
Rebecca Zwanzig is an illustrator based in Portland, Oregon, who works under the name High West Wild. Her work includes digitally created botanical and natural-history-inspired images.
What influences her illustrations?
Zwanzig told Colossal that she draws on vintage textiles, antique dishware, folk art, botanical illustration and 1960s and 1970s design, as well as landscapes where she has lived.
How does she make the digital images?
According to the report, Zwanzig first makes hand-drawn sketches and then develops the pieces in Procreate or Adobe Illustrator. She also sometimes uses oil painting to explore analog texture.
When can people see her work in Seattle?
The report says Zwanzig is scheduled to show work at Seattle’s Renegade Craft Fair, November 20–22, 2026. It does not specify her individual appearance times or the work she will bring.
When will her tarot deck be released?
No release date has been announced in the report. Colossal says Zwanzig is working on a complete tarot deck, but gives no further production or publication details.
Source: thisiscolossal.com
