Born in Germany, Renate Hulley studied design under Professor Erna Hitzberger at the Folkwang Art Academy in Essen. She married and moved to England, and became a successful designer at the Design Centre in London. Later, in Africa, inspired by its exotic environment, Renate moved away from design to Fine Art and began to explore the use of oil paint and watercolour. After their sojourn in Uganda, she and her husband came to Canada and stayed four years in Edmonton, where Renate taught drawing and painting and continued her own studies in fine art. In 1969, they settled in Ottawa and raised a family. In Ottawa, Renate again worked as an art teacher while also pursuing her own studies, resulting in 1984 in a High Honours B.A. in Art History from Carleton University. Renate works in various media but is currently concentrating on watercolour and oil crayons. Her work has been exhibited widely and won numerous awards. Renate is a fellow of the Ottawa Watercolour Society. Since 1985, she has worked as a Docent at the National Art Gallery of Canada; for four years, she was the Exhibition Chairperson of the Ottawa Watercolour Society; and she has served as juror and teaches watercolour painting at the Ottawa School of Art.