About the Artist

A native of Minnesota, T. J. Rajala is an emerging artist who first connected with art in the fall of 2014, after her children no longer required her hockey mom transportation skills.  With time suddenly available, she was introduced to painting through a Community Education course she had been eyeing for a decade.   During the second class, people began circling around her, questioning if she had prior formal training.   Encouraged by viewer reactions, T. J. Rajala practiced painting in her free time.  Mid-pandemic, at age 52, she had an overwhelming urge to return to college to pursue an Associate of Fine Arts degree, as a means of preparing for her retirement career.  With her A.F.A. studies completed in 2024, her focus is mainly paintings in acrylic, oil, and watercolor, capturing modern day scenes of North America.  Her work is in private collections across the U.S. 

Her first gallery show, Deja Vu,  is currently on view at 210 Gallery and Art Center in Sandstone, MN through October 20th, 2024.  Gallery hours are Saturday & Sunday, Noon to 3 PM.

Follow me on Instagram @tjrajalafineart