- It’s the healing properties of nature, something Raney is drawn to, that most informs her work.
For artist Raney Watters, art provides a means for expression and human relations – a bridge of connectivity between all living things.
“Connecting with one another is important to me. My paintings come from within. It is my hope they will evoke deep connection, a safe place to explore the depths of your being.”
As a professional artist, Raney Watters says she is still learning.
“There is a balance of creativity and logic/reason to starting this business, whereas I like my art to be slightly off-kilter.”
While she is focused on making art her business, Raney’s career as a speech-language pathologist is still important to her.
“I will definitely keep my license active and go into the hospital weekly.”
And while she enjoys her work, art has become a passion for Raney.
“With the arts, whether it’s visual arts, music, or writing, we get to experience each other on a more human level. I love finding that common ground. We are all on this Earth together, and it’s important for us to connect with one another, finding a voice of love and understanding. I feel that’s something we need to all lean into.”
That connectivity is what inspires Raney, whose art blends elements of nature, music, and emotion onto each canvas she creates. It’s the healing properties of nature, something Raney is drawn to, that most informs her work.
“I grew up in Grenada and Greenwood, and my mom would recommend/suggest I go play outside or get creative if I was restless. Throughout my childhood, I used my imagination to make me happy. I used my creative side through art or dancing around. I was encouraged early on to be creative during downtimes. Often that time was spent drawing outdoors.”
Her art journey began with time spent at summer camp when she was very young. She attended art classes at a neighbor’s home – a key event that contributed to Raney’s love of art.
“There was an art teacher in our neighborhood in Grenada who held little summer art camps at her home. I could walk to her house. She taught us all kinds of things, from sculpture and wire forms to tie dye, and working with pastels and oil paints. She taught us everything, and I soaked it all in. My mom saw how happy it made me, and she continued to nurture that.”
In more recent years, Raney has returned to her art. She found the therapeutic benefits she gained from it during her childhood hold true now.
“I have had many challenges in my life, and art has been a safe escape. It has always felt very healing to me.”
She described it as “opening the floodgates,” where she is sometimes filled with a rush of ideas she feels compelled to get on a canvas.
“I will often wake up at 4:00 in the morning with an idea, so I’ll rush to my studio and end up painting until 9:00 at night. My husband can’t believe I can paint that long, but he has noticed that I am happier than I have ever been. It’s not unusual for me to cry or laugh while painting. There are just so many emotions I am processing while I paint.”
Raney’s studio is a space off the garage of her Madison home that was originally intended to be a sunroom.
“When we built the house, I intended it to be a place to relax and meditate. But it makes a perfect art studio. I have French doors on the south side, and windows and doors on the opposite side, so I have incredible light all day. Even though it is off the main part of the house, I try to keep it tidy, but sometimes it can get a bit chaotic. I do feel like this space was divinely meant to be for this purpose.”
Amid the chaos, Raney finds peace. Her normally busy mind gets quiet as she paints, and she goes into somewhat of a meditative state.
“I feel like I am a vessel of all that is going on with me, or with the person I am painting for, and I pour that all onto the canvas. Honestly, I get less stuck when I get out of my own way.”
Raney says she tends to be very intuitive when she paints.
“It may be an abstract painting or a landscape. It’s whatever inspiration I feel at the moment.”
Raney works with several mediums, perhaps harkening back to the lessons from her art teacher in Grenada. She uses watercolor, oil, pastels, and even aerosol paint – whatever moves her at the time.
“My work is textured, with layers and depth and feeling. I strive to be imaginative and introspective, and I want people to reach out and touch it when they see one of my paintings. Each time they look at one of my paintings, I want them to notice something they had not noticed before. I want people to feel something when they see my work.”
For a time. her art was all about healing, but Raney says it has evolved from there.
“I’m meeting people and getting to know them on a whole other level. Right now, I am doing a commission piece for a hospital co-worker, and because of that, I am connecting with her on a deeper level.”
Making the transition from a painting hobby to having a true painting business has been a challenge for Raney, but one she welcomes.
“I believe in what I’m doing and I want to make every effort to make it successful.”
Her work was on display at the Cotton House in Cleveland the fourth quarter of last year.
“I felt so very lucky to have been chosen to display my work for them. When I got the call, I had about nine or ten months to prepare, so I got busy painting! It all felt very divine.”
Through that show, she was contacted to donate a piece for a children’s fundraiser in Bolivar County.
“The Cotton House show helped to get my name out into the world. Now more people know about my work.”
Raney’s goal is to be able to travel and connect with people all over the world through her artistic endeavors.
“I also hope to have my artwork featured in galleries and perhaps art fairs, in hopes of facilitating more connections while following my passions.”
Raney is married to Dr. Carter Watters, a hospitalist in the Jackson area. The couple resides in Madison with their two beagles.
Susan Marquez
