About
Hi! I'm Rae - most commonly known as RaeRae or The Painting Lady.
I'm a Canadian artist and author, a lover of reading, and a mom of two absolutely amazing kiddos.
As a graduate of the Fleming College Early Childhood Education program, most of my early professional career surrounded working with children and families. After some time in the field and my experiences working with families, I discovered a love of fostering attachment between children and their caregivers. I opted to expand my education and went back to school to study Children's Mental Health. Though I absolutely adored working in the sector, due to a few health setbacks, I had to refocus and ultimately leaned in to my passion for art.
In the beginning months of my artistry career, the primary focus was on teaching adults. Then one of my creatives asked if I could teach children's classes - then one of the moms at the session asked if I could teach both children and parents together. Suddenly, things clicked and once again I was fostering attachments, but this time it was done through art.
When I am not teaching, I create paintings and drawings of things that surround and inspire me. People. Animals. Nature. Architecture. I love to create, and I am so blessed to have had the trust of so many who believed in my skills to recreate and merge photos to create beautiful pieces of art.
With several children's books published, my goal in creating these is to delight and engage children and their grownups in stories they can read together. The idea of helping and encouraging young readers to develop their reading skills and ignite their imaginations has had a profound impact on the way I write and illustrate the stories.
As a hard-of-hearing artist, I understand that sometimes trying to create or connect can be challenging. I strive to make connections through education, artistry, and storytelling.
Art has the power to heal. It has the power to connect us with others. And the beautiful thing is that there is no one way or wrong way to create, so don't be afraid to be as colourful or creative as you'd like.
If you'd like to try your hand at learning a new art skill, please join in the creativity at the Dragonfly Art Studio in Guelph, ON.
Rae Wright
she/her/hers