Me and my sons, Jonathan (R) and Michael (L). I’m a proud mama
Welcome to my blog… I’m Lorraine “Rainey” Dewey, artist, mother, daughter, sister, friend and child of God. I live, work and paint in Upstate New York having moved here with my parents and four siblings in the late 1960’s from Huntsville, Alabama.
Looking back I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawing or painting something. I recall laying in the top bunk of our bed in a room I shared with my sister trying to draw horses. Grabbing the “H” volume of the Encyclopedia Britannica and flipping to the horse section I would try over and over to draw those horses. I always had a devil of a time getting the horses hooves just right and to this day I have a mental block about drawing those hooves. As time passed I would add drawings of ballerinas (thin waisted with big boobs), whimsical mushroom worlds and spirograph designs to my repertoire.
Years would fly by as I would marry and then would be blessed with the birth my twin sons, Jonathan and Michael. During those years I would use my creativity to make Christmas ornaments and gifts, bake cookies, decorate my home on a shoestring budget and try to be a good mother to my boys. Then in 1987 when my sons were eleven years old, at the urging of my mother, I signed up for an adult ed art class at the local high school. I assumed oil painting would be the medium of choice and so I dug out my very old paints, some very old brushes and off I went. That first class was a surprise in so many ways. Surprise #1… watercolor would be the medium of choice (I’d never seriously considered painting with watercolor) and Surprise #2… this watercolor class would unleash an unquenchable passion for creativity – no matter the medium. There would be no turning back, nor would I want to turn back. Since then I’ve had ups and downs with the art, trying and stopping and trying again to make it into something.
These days I’ve allowed my creativity to have no limits and no rules. I’m willing to try most anything and if a first attempt fails I’ll give it another go. My mind is open and my spirit more adventurous than ever before. No surface is off limits to paint. No subject is off limits and as I try new things I am growing. As for my artist style – I consider myself a realist with abstract influences – for within each realistic work there can be found multitudes of abstract design. It took me a while to appreciate that fact but as I’ve gotten older I have opened my mind to any possibility. Over the years I have been blessed to have received awards for my watercolor and graphite work from time-to-time and while it is great to be recognized I’ve come to realize that the real joy is in the creative process. There are no limits to the heights we can reach if only we try and then persist.
Watercolor Classes
Watercolor classes are on hold for the time being here at Rainey Dewey’s Art Spot but you can find instructional videos on my YouTube channel at Rainey Dewey’s Art Spot. If you have ever been interested in learning how to paint, now just might be the time to give it a try by following along with the Beginner Painter series of videos. These videos offer instruction for the beginner or intermediate artist with details about technique and finding your personal style. Of course, after watching the video series if you have questions or need more instruction, gentle critiquing or encouragement please feel free to contact me by email at [email protected].
Honors
- Hagaman’s Annual Art Show, Hagaman New York, First Place Drawing “The Bog,” 2015
- Art By the Lake, Cooperstown, New York, Best Use of Style, 2012
- Stockade Villagers’ Art Show, Schenectady, New York, Honorable Mention, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009
- Tulip Festival, Albany, New York, Honorable Mention, 2005
- Twilight Cottagers Annual Art Show Honorable Mention, 1998 and 2005
- Saratoga Art In The Park, Saratoga, New York, Honorable Mention, 1990, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2003
- Rexford Art Show, Rexford, New York Honorable Mention, 1990
