About
About the Artist
Raeanna Tilly is a watercolor artist, wife, and homeschooling mom of five, creating vibrant, faith-filled art from the heart of North Carolina. As the Artist of Hope™, her mission is to encourage, uplift, and remind others of their worth through beauty and color. Influenced by her Slavic and Hispanic heritage, her Christian faith, and the imaginative worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, Raeanna’s work weaves together joy, healing, and resilience. She paints from her homestead in the Piedmont region, where the wonders of everyday life inspire her calling.
She is also working on a children’s book that will bless women and children in Domestic Violence Shelters by offering them hope in times of fear. Sign up for her newsletter to follow her artistic journey and encourage her efforts to grow hope!
A Letter from Raeanna
Hello there,
I’m Raeanna, and I’m thrilled you’re here AT FORESTS EDGE!
My mission? To inspire you to cultivate hope — in your garden, art, and life.
Who am I? A woman embracing imperfection, blessed with a loving husband, five earthly children, and one waiting for me. I’m an artist who loves to paint. I also enjoy diving into books and learning new things. Oh, and I’m also a certified herbalist, passionate about plant health benefits.
As a watercolor artist, I find solace in watching the paint flow and transform into a tangible version of my imagination. Inspired by greats like Van Gogh, Mucha, and Tolkien, I would love to inspire others through art and teachings.
As a gardener/homesteader, I’m not just tending to a garden; we’re building a modern homestead, growing organic food & flowers, fixing up our home, embracing family life with our five kids, and homeschooling along the way. Sounds like a lot? It is, but it all falls into place beautifully.
I would count it all as loss without my faith in Jesus! Join me in a women’s Bible study where we’ll delve deep into faith and understanding together.
My journey from homelessness to finding sanctuary and love has been guided by the Lord’s divine intervention. I truly believe that adversity is a pivotal tool the Lord uses to shape us into the people we were meant to be. You can read my story here: Homeless to Artist: A Story of Hope!
My faith inspires me to write and illustrate a children’s book to inspire hope in times of fear. I intend to get it into the hands of children and women who currently abide in the women’s shelter where I once found sanctuary. So they too can know there is a future to look forward to.
Here, AT FORESTS EDGE, I see a world transformed. A transition from the harsh reality I once knew to a place filled with life, hope, and miracles.
In the forest, I witness the cycle of life, where the old makes way for the new, and hope thrives. The edge of the forest symbolizes transition, and a constant reminder that life has its ups and downs, its moments of darkness and light.
As J.R.R. Tolkien beautifully put it,
“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all the lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
My hope for you, no matter what circumstances you have faced, is to know there is always hope and a future and you are truly loved, beyond understanding.
So, come along and learn from my journey. Until we meet again,
Raeanna