About Cecile

Artist's Statement

Art is my way of processing or expressing my emotions and thoughts. However, I also like to let it be the result of curiosity, playfulness and imagination. As a teenager, drawing very controlled black and white portraits was fun, but after my training in the Alexander Technique, a need for more freedom in my drawing surfaced and changed everything drastically for me as an artist. That is how I started evolving towards what I call my "Kinesthetic" Artwork.  Although I have done oil paintings, monoprints and photography, my current focus is now on acrylics and mixed media charcoal work on either paper or canvas,  although I go back to photography periodically with new ideas. My work illustrates my deep interest and experience with Movement (as a movement specialist and a dancer) or my experience with Stillness (as a long time meditator). I like to capture movement and the feeling behind the movement as I draw without looking at my paper in the initial stage of the art piece. I also like to live some room for the viewer's imagination to ponder and wonder.

My work often shows contrast between Light and Dark and my preference is to not use more than a few colors at a time in a painting. Black outlining has been part of my art work since I was a child which I believe reflects my genuine interest for Clarity.  I prefer drawing and painting people in motion like dancers, musicians, yoga practitioners in action as well as special private moments. I enjoy mixing somewhat realistic and abstract elements together which gives more space to my creativity. I have been told that the healing quality of my hands and presence affect people indirectly (or directly) as they are in presence of my Art and that has always been a rewarding feeling to notice that response in many viewers. However, my most recent mixed media collection in 18 x 24 has a different feel altogether...maybe more edgy, yet still full of movement and reflective mood!

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Cecile Raynor lives in Brookline where she has been working for about 20 years as an Alexander Technique teacher and Artist while raising her 2 children. She has been drawing and painting all her life. And at this point of her life, Cecile finds that her various fields of interests and professional skills have had a tendency to merge with each other in a very interesting way giving her artwork a special dimension connected to her teaching about movement and stillness.

Cecile worked on a PhD in French Literature and moved on to become an Alexander Technique teacher with a holistic approach. Through that practice, she also teaches meditation, nutrition, safe exercising and encourages people to explore alternative ways to healing. Her meditative CD, 'Active Resting", with acoustic guitar improvisation in the background, helps people improve their postural balance and regenerate their back. For more info, visit www.alexandertec.com or call (617) 359-7841.