Known as Ms. Rain, an Oppenheimer Award winning teacher of fine art at the CPS George B. Armstrong School of International Studies, Patricia Rain Gianneschi-McNichols continues to shine in retirement. Her journey to “feeling refreshed” comes from living life with passion.

At her core, she is a multidisciplinary artist and musician, who “uses paint, words, and music as a portal for imagination and spirit.” Upon retirement in 2012, she decompressed by visiting with friends, began substitute teaching at her neighborhood school, worked on her historic home (more specifically created her art studio on the top floor), and got to work on her bucket list.

In 2015, Patricia “made a huge leap of faith,” and became a student in the Low-Residency Master of Fine Art program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. “After a lifetime of making art, teaching art, making music, and writing, this program and earning an MFA changed my life,” said Patricia. Raised in the television business, Patricia held a union card with the trade union representing technicians, artisans, and craftspeople working behind-the scenes. With her new degree in hand and her technical experience,  she became a studio art teacher working on television production sets. Patricia works on several sets but is particularly proud of her work as an Art Tech on the set of “Empire” where she taught actors how to paint on glass.

While an award-winning art teacher, Patricia is also a renowned artist herself, and her work was recognized in 2018, when she won the National Wet Paint MFA Biennial. The exhibition featured emerging contemporary artists across the United States currently working in the medium of painting. This summer, Patricia will be heading to Italy and then Spain as a resident artist. In addition, she has teamed up with a colleague to start an Artist Residency in Mexico in the fall of 2019. Her work may be viewed at exhibitions locally and around the globe as well as on her website, www.praingianneschiart.com. Her music may be found on iTunes under the name Patti Rain.

 Patricia suggests, “Life begins after retirement. You are not retired, you are refreshed.”