Raeanne Schachter is an artist with a special interest in the female figure or “Dames”. She moved to Lacombe when she was in grade seven and stayed in the City until she graduated high school. In May of 2022, the City of Lacombe purchased some of her art work for the City’s private collection. 

Currently, Schachter works as an artist in Maple Ridge, British Columbia but she will soon be moving her practice to Granville Island for a residency at Lynn Falconer’s Studio. Falconer is a bronze sculptor and teacher who happened to have an open spot in her studio that Raeanne happened to be a perfect fit for. 

Schachter first met Falconer after taking Falconer’s course called ‘Preschool for Grownups’ and a friendship formed as Schacter grew her interest in sculpting and even hosted a sculpture exhibition in Fort Langley.  

“It was one of those "pinch me, is this really happening" moments.  The artist she was sharing the space with retired and I was in the right place at the right time. I'm so excited and a little intimidated and nervous about moving my practice from the community in which I live to this arts center of Vancouver,” explained Schachter.

Schachter’s 6-month residency in Granville Island begins on March 1st. During her time there, she will be working on a series called Dames: Women in the City. However, she is looking forward to letting the local culture inspire her. 

Raeanna Schachter and Lynn Falconer. Photo courtesy of Raeanne Schachter. Raeanne Schachter and Lynn Falconer. Photo courtesy of Raeanne Schachter. 

“I think it would be a lost opportunity to not really allow the vibrance of being at this epicenter of art help influence my practice. If I can let it influence it, I should. I'm going in with a super open mind, big huge canvases and really the intention of working super hard,” she added. 

Schacter has had a long career in various roles. After finishing up High School at the Lacombe Composite High School she went to NAIT where she studied the photographic arts and worked in commercial photography in Toronto. 

“I was sort of a junior photographer so I got to shoot all the fun things like toasters for the Sears catalog and those kinds of things. Shooting a toaster is difficult because it's so reflective so it taught me a lot about light. That was another little stepping stone into the direction of fine art,” said Schachter. 

Additionally, she worked in music management in Alberta working with music artists such as K.D. Lang and Jann Arden. 

She began working with ‘Dames’ following a Paint and Sip class where she found herself really wanting to push the boundaries of her work. 

“I painted the same type of painting that everybody in the room did and I brought it home and it was alright. I didn't want to have a painting that looked exactly the same as a bunch of other folks. I just went to the dollar store and I started to paint over it with no real plan. Then I started seeing these images of eyes and abstract mouth and a really cool female face just kind of appeared accidentally and I really loved it,” she explained. 

Regardless of where her career has taken her, Schachter remains thankful to her humble beginnings in Lacombe. 

“I moved to Lacombe in grade seven much to my unhappiness back then. I thought I was a city slicker and knew all this cool stuff and I was moving to this little hick town. I was not very happy about it. Little did I know the folks in Lacombe were cooler than I was. It didn’t take me long to figure that out. I made friends super fast and loved it. It was the best decision my parents made was to move us out of the city and into a smaller community like Lacombe. I’m so grateful,” she explained. 

“I sit here and I look back I can really see all those dots connected in just this serendipitous way.” 

If Lacombe and area residents find themselves in the Granville Island area during her residency, they are welcome to say hi and check out her work. Her studio will be located at 1350 Railspur Alley, Vancouver, B.C. (Granville Island) and will be open from 11AM to 5PM from Wednesday to Sunday. She will be there until August 31, 2023. 

“I'd love for them to come in say hello because I miss home. I miss Lacombe. I miss my friends. I miss my family,” she added.