About Me

HOW I BECAME AN ARTIST

I’ve always loved making art. As a kid, I taught myself to draw from library books, determined to show my teachers that I was serious about it. That curiosity carried me to the University of Guelph, where I studied Studio Art. I’ll never forget a moment in a sculpture class in 1998 when my professor, artist Stephen Schofield, spoke about his life and practice. I remember thinking, “That’s what I want — I want to be an artist.”

But life felt uncertain, and I followed the more traditional path after graduation. I earned a diploma in Digital Media Arts and built a career in graphic design. I kept painting whenever I could — weekends, nights, any spare time — but it always felt like there wasn’t enough room for it.

In 2017, I made the decision to leave my full-time job so I could dedicate more time to painting. I’ve continued to balance freelance design work alongside my art ever since, but painting has become the centre of my creative life. It’s where I feel most focused, connected, and alive — the place that reminds me who I am and why I create.

That choice changed everything. Since then, I’ve been painting, showing, and sharing my work with growing confidence — building a life that finally feels aligned with what I’m meant to do. It’s not always easy, but it feels like a calling — the thing that keeps pulling me forward, no matter what.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I paint the atmosphere of the world around me — the glow of a bar at night, the warmth of a shared table, the energy of a market, the quiet expanse of a landscape, and the small details that anchor us to a place. Whether I’m painting an interior, a travel scene, a cocktail, or a hillside at golden hour, my work begins with the same impulse: noticing the feeling of a moment and translating it through colour and light.

My primary medium is oil painting, built in slow, layered colours that allow light to guide the emotional tone — whether it’s the soft hum of a crowded street, the brightness of a simple drink, or the stillness of nature. My sketchbook drawings come from this same practice of paying attention. They are studies of shape, rhythm, and texture — a quieter way of observing the world before bringing those observations into larger works.

My background in design has shaped how I understand composition and structure. It helps me create paintings that feel both detailed and spacious, scenes that invite viewers to slow down and settle into the mood of a place. I’m drawn to the ordinary moments that become meaningful once we pause long enough to feel them — a sliver of sunlight, a familiar landscape, the way objects gather on a bar counter.

Through my work, I offer a sense of connection and calm — an invitation to notice the light that lingers in everyday life.

BIO

Raquel Aurini is a Toronto-based painter whose work reflects her life, travels, and everyday experiences. Over the past two decades, her art has evolved from abstract explorations to natural landscapes and, more recently, to everyday scenes, interiors, and architectural themes. Across these subjects, her focus on colour, light, structure, and balance remains constant, expressed primarily through oil painting.

Raquel earned a BA in Studio Art from the University of Guelph and a diploma in Digital Media Arts from Seneca College in Toronto. For more than twenty years, she has participated in juried exhibitions across Ontario and Montreal, including Leslie Grove Gallery, Galerie 203, The Papermill Gallery, Blue Crow Gallery, Neilson Park Creative Centre, Carrier Gallery, Art Alchemy’s Pi Art Squared, and the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, among others.

After a twenty-year career as a graphic designer, Raquel left full-time work in advertising in 2017 to focus more fully on her art. In 2019, she began showing her work regularly, starting with the Riverdale Artwalk — her first outdoor art show and a pivotal step toward a more public art practice. She continues to participate in the Riverdale Artwalk annually and exhibits throughout Toronto. Her paintings are held in private collections nationally and internationally.

Raquel currently lives and works in Toronto, Canada.

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I invite you to explore my process in more detail.
Read more about my studio and process here.