Thinking Man Print

Rana J. Rodger was born in Kent, England. From an early age she spent her free time in a world of colour and form. "I still feel that my best paintings were the first ones I did when I was three and four years old. I sometimes look at them and connect to the magic that I felt at that time...the smell of the fat wax crayon as it slid across the page… the wonderful surprise when pink met blue...or blue met green… the excitement I felt as the paper began to fill with circles, lines and dots..." Rana left home at an early age and went travelling with a sketchbook At age 18 she found great inspiration from Native American art, culture and philosophy. This was the start of a spiritual journey that still continues today. In Australia, her understanding of indigenous culture was further embellished. She spent eight months in the outback making her own paints from earth pigments and started experimenting with different media. “There was a whole year when I spent practically every day experimenting with texture, colour and hue. There were days when I felt that I was just making a load of mess and not getting anywhere....but where is there to get to anyway? In France, I discovered a wonderful blue pigment called blue mineral and spent an entire year just playing with "blue." I couldn’t stop. Blue took me on a voyage. I never imagined that there could be so many facets to blue I rediscovered the delight and satisfaction I had as a small child, and as a result my paintings started to take me on a voyage of discovery.” Rana's work is vibrant and rich in colour and texture, touching universal themes and something primal within us all. And the true motive is to bring a sense of positivity and optimism to this world. Rana J Rodger lives in Southwest France where she has her studio and holds creativity retreats popular with those who believe (or have been told) that they cannot paint.