Barbara Rae was born in Falkirk, Scotland, and is best known as a painter and printmaker. Rae studied at Edinburgh College of Art and trained as a teacher, going on to work at Aberdeen College of Education and Glasgow School of Art. Drawn to shifting landscapes, Rae employs vivid colours to create abstract compositions that make connections between people and places.
Dovecot has collaborated with Rae for over 25 years on various tapestries and gun-tufted rugs including Carnival Edinburgh 1994 commissioned by Festival Theatre Edinburgh, Fishpool Lacken 2010 inspired by a monotype by Rae, and various rugs including Anasazi Longhorn 2011.
The most recent collaboration between Dovecot weavers and Rae is Peel Sound Ice 2019, a tapestry that mediates on the devastating impact of climate change in the Arctic region.
