By the time we were grown, we realized our mother doesn’t separate art from life. She’s built a life that behaves like art. For decades, she’s moved across different art forms – masks, sculptures, quilts, drawing – testing where stories live. She’s also moved across fields from classics and music to anthropology and urban planning. Inventing and re-inventing. Curiosity leads the way.
The same precise, restless imagination now lives on the page in her children’s books, in fine pen-and-ink lines, and in secret worlds that open sideways into hidden cities. Everyday lives veer into something else, something magical in between the cracks of reality.
-Written by one of Rae St. Clair Bridgman’s children
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Which ’hood are you in?
My studio is nestled by the Assiniboine River, old cottonwoods, historic homes, and beloved gardens, where you hear the call of a great horned owl every night. My studio, writing chair, and research life are all within easy reach of each other.
What do you do?
When I’m not teaching at the university, I move between writing and drawing. Some days I’m deep in illustration work; other days I’m writing, editing, or growing new ideas that bring word and image together.
What are you currently working on?
I’ve recently finished an alphabet architecture picture book and audiobook about Winnipeg for youngsters. Now, I’m happily returning to MiddleGate, that secret magical city hidden in Winnipeg’s Exchange District. Fantasy, adventure, and mystery brew up Manitoba stories that are “almost true.”
Where can we find your work?
My kids’ books are available through bookstores, public libraries, and online. Here’s an invitation to enjoy visiting my website.
