T. Willie Raney

Born Thelma Willie Raney in Washington, D.C., Raney received a B.F.A. from Ithaca College in 1979. During the 1980’s and 90’s she has exhibited in New York City, Port Chester, Silvermine Guild, Norwalk and Essex, Connecticut. She was invited to participate in two shows featuring the works of African Americans at Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, Virginia and the Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Norwalk, Connecticut. In 1990, she graduated from Southern Connecticut State University with a Master’s in Art Education and began a career as an art educator in the public schools where she has won numerous awards and grants including the 2016 John Rogers Memorial Award for Human and Civil Rights, 2006-2007 CAEA Outstanding Middle Level Art Educator of the Year and the 2005 Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, The Power of Art Grant. Her first solo exhibition was in 1998 at The Gallery at Riverside Press in Essex, Connecticut with a second show at Mercer Corporation in New York City followed by a solo show at the Town and Country Club of Hartford, Connecticut. She joined the artists of Gallery One CT in 2012, an association of mid-career artists whose vision is to provide Southeastern Connecticut with a stimulating resource of exhibitions. Her work seeks to create both physical and spiritual balance using influences from objects found in nature, especially those with texture, light and rhythm. She counts Rothko, Boothe, Homer, Richter, Sargent, Beardon and Degas as her mentors. Her current work combines printmaking, watercolor and collage with a focus on layers, text and illumination. “I’m always trying to push the boundaries of underlying structures and how layers can be defined.”

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Gallery One Featured Artist Interview with T. Willie Raney

G1: What role does experimentation play in your artmaking?

T. Willie: It plays a big role as I work very intuitively. I usually try to visualize the final piece. It might be inspired by another image or a natural object. Then I might do a sketch or start assembling some of the pieces. Because I work with a lot of layers, I always dry-fit the pieces first. After that, I figure out what layer will be first, second, and then I listen to the art to tell me which medium I should add to it and where.

G1: How does spending time in nature influence your work?

T. Willie: I like to go for walks and I'm always curious about what I'm seeing. I can't help picking up seeds, leaves, bark, stones, a birds' nest, lichen; any textured natural object catches my eye. I keep a collection that I use in my work, either as inspiration or I physically add it to the art.

 G1: How has your art evolved over time?

T. Willie: I used to do mostly representational landscapes, but since the pandemic my work has centered around messaging. I actually didn't create anything that first year. I was so focused on staying safe I just didn't feel creative at all. And then I went to my studio in January 2021 and was able to generate ideas. My ideas were a reaction to all the events in the news I had absorbed over the year. The titles of my art conveyed the messages: "Fishing", "Rise", and "We Too Belong."

 G1: Why collagraphs?

T. Willie: Collagraphs allow me to get the subtle lines, shapes, and textures I see in the natural world. Each layer of paper, mark or tear I make will show. And the best part is I can get all of those textures on the surface of one "plate" at the same time, without having to do multiple prints of different plates as in traditional monotypes.