H. Rae Conner was born in Hong-Kong to American parents the year of the Tiananmen Square Protests. Most of her childhood passed in Turkey, a country where the ruins of Hittite, Greek, Roman, and Ottoman civilizations lie layer upon layer. 
Rae moved to the United States to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in Painting from George Mason University, graduating Summa Cum Laude. In addition to painting, she creates illustrations and has completed an Artist Residency in Wales.