When Vancouver-born artist Rae Maté heard The Lord’s Prayer recited in first grade, she believed that the phrase, “Our Father who ‘art’ in Heaven” referred to the Creator indulging His passion for drawing and painting! Art was her favourite subject and she did a lot of it, taking summer classes, and copying famous paintings from books.

In her first week as a student at the University of British Columbia she answered an ad for political cartoonists in the campus newspaper, The Ubyssey. Having been asked by the editor if she could draw people, her first assignment was to create a portrait of rather famous fellow on campus she had never before set eyes on but would later become her husband: student radical and columnist Gabor Maté. The pen and ink portrait was published in October of 1967, the couple married two years later, together they raised 3 beautiful kids, and (God willing) they will celebrate their 50th anniversary in November 2019!

After a BA in English from UBC and a teaching certificate from SFU, Rae spent several years teaching primary grades in East Vancouver. In 1982 she began her formal art training part time at Langara College, then to Emily Carr College of Art and Design, graduating in 1986 with a diploma in drawing and painting. For the next 11 years Rae shared a fabulous studio space on the 4th floor at 901 Main street, until 1997 when she moved into a brand new studio she had built in her garden.

Many years later Rae continues to be a prolific painter who has exhibited her acrylic and oil paintings in numerous solo, group and juried shows across Canada. Favourite themes are still life/flowers, women and children, abstractions, landscapes, expressive cats, dogs, and friendly crocodiles. Her popular handmade art cards are available at Hornby Island summer Markets, in select stores in BC and through this website.

Rae is also the illustrator of six beautiful picture books for children and as a visiting artist/illustrator she enjoys engaging with young audiences in BC schools, libraries and book festivals. For over 20 years she has been an art instructor to preschoolers and their parents at Vancouver Children’s Arts Umbrella on Granville Island.

These days Rae is drawing inspiration from recent travels in Costa Rica, the US and Europe, and every summer she makes her own “art in Heaven” on beautiful Hornby Island BC.