About Rhea

Rhea Quien’s interests lie in creativity, education and self development. Since 1982 she has run her own private practise in Cambridge as a Creative Expression Art focalizer in the form of ongoing small art groups for self-expression; since 1987 she has also worked in Educational Kinesiology in one-to-one therapy. Rhea has written and delivered several courses, including a Training Manual in Creative Expression Art. Since 1995 she has been active as an artist.

Rhea grew up in Kashmir, India, Persia and Europe. The beauty, rich diversity and contrasts of these cultures and nature had a powerfully formative impact on Rhea. Art materials were always available at home, due to her parents work, and Rhea learned by playing. When she was seven, her family moved from Kashmir to the heart of the Swiss mountains. This environment further strengthened Rhea’s love of nature and culture.

Solvejg's Song

Lifesize statue of
Mahatma Ghandi

Rhea’s parents, Tontyn Hopman and Clara Quien, spent more than seventeen years in the East, before settling in Switzerland. Tontyn was an architect by profession, with a personal interest in art. Other interests included Eastern philosophy and the works of Carl Gustav Jung. Rhea’s mother was a famous portrait artist. She was commissioned to sculpt numerous portraits including a life size statue of Mahatma Gandhi, busts of Prime Minister J. Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Yehudi Menuhin and Dr. Maria Montessori. She also was synaesthetic and in later life she created abstract sculptures and painting of music.  Rhea's brother is an artist in Hawaii (see: www.hopmanart.com).

At nineteen Rhea married a research scientist in molecular biology and settled in Cambridge, where a whole new world opened up for her. Amongst her husband's friends were scientists like David Bohm. She learned about the thrill and stress of people working at the cutting edge of science through her husband's work. Rhea partook in a course of Indian Art and Archaeology and they started their own family.
The DNA slide was given by the courtesy of the Medical Research Council, Cambridge.

Rhea chanced to attend a children’s Creative Expression Art session in Zürich. Inspired, she trained as a focalizer between 1982 and 1984 with Ester Hoffmann and later attended a week long seminar with the founder Arno Stern. For twelve years Rhea ran a practise in Cambridge, working with up to 40 participants weekly. From 1992 to 1994 she wrote and delivered the Teacher Training Course in Creative Expression Art. This work confirms for Rhea that creativity is the birth right of every human being.

At the same time Rhea’s interests in the healing arts provided a rich source of new understanding.

With Prof. Anthony Andreasen (right) in 1985 and Dr. Paul Dennison (1988/9) she trained in

Educational Kinesiology as practitioner and instructor, and much enjoys this work.

Between 1990 and 1994 Rhea undertook further training and workshops out of a personal interest in group dynamics.  This included:

• ‘Intuitive Leadership’ on organizational transformation with Jan Backelin from Sweden, Findhorn Foundation (1992)
• ‘Conflict Resolution’ on gender conflict with Danaan Perry from Seattle, Findhorn Foundation (1993)
• Group Analysis (practical experience only) in Cambridge (1992/3)
• International Conference of Community in Seattle. Focus community building including the work of Scott Peck (1994)

After 1995 Rhea took two extended retreats in the high mountains. Months spent almost alone in nature gave deep and lasting insights. These times seeded an outpouring of her creativity, later manifesting in painting.

• "Birth Dream Series" included 41 archetypal paintings on canvas, exploring the cycles of life through birth, death and love. This series was painted during 1995 to 1997. With Grace Singer she wrote an extensive course to Birth Dream, which has been delivered over several weekends in Cambridge. Other series of paintings followed:
• ‘Living Matter in Rhythm’, 25 large canvases, were created from 1999 to 2001.
• ‘Light Images’ photographed in 1997 and later.
• ‘Out of Simplicity – Toward Complexity’, 144 pastel drawings, designed in 2003.