Emilie "Rainbow" Touraine Art Program

Emilie "Rainbow" Touraine (1939-2019) was an incredible artist who loved animals, music, children, and nature.  Her passions were captured in her paintings - typically horses, bison, indigenous peoples and stunning western landscapes.

Touraine was born on September 1, 1939, in New York, New York and predominantly raised in California. Her family moved to Arizona when she was a teenager, and she became captivated with horses and the wild west. She lived for periods of time with Hopi families in Northern Arizona. Her time spent amongst the Native American way of life and culture is reflected in many of her pieces and her reverence for their customs and traditions. She was highly nomadic, and also lived in Washington, Hawaii, Nebraska, and New Mexico. Due to health reasons, Touraine eventually traded her oil paints for acrylics and watercolors. She also designed and made clothes for those she cherished. 

Touraine won best in show and the director's award at the Pacific Northwest Indian Center Show and Auction in 1973. Her artworks went on to be in several exhibitions and private collections. Some of her pieces have also been reproduced into greeting cards and prints. Despite her incredible talent, her work rarely received the attention it deserves.  

Emilie Touraine spent her later years in New Mexico, passing away in 2019. Rainbow is survived by her goddaughter and select friends that were her chosen family.  This art program was started by her goddaughter and heir to keep her spirit alive and to share her work with future generations.  Instilling a love and appreciation for art and all that Rainbow held so dear.