Meet RAD Artist Rae Lang

A Blank(et) Canvas.

Our Rumpl Artist Division (R.A.D.) program has long been a platform for showcasing artists, photographers, and designers on our one-of-a-kind canvas.

These programs are limited in nature and celebrate creative expression in all its forms.

A portion of net proceeds from the Rumpl x Rae Lang collaboration gives back to the Protect the Porkies coalition.

Rae Lang is a woodblock printmaker and founder of Woosah Outfitters, an art and apparel brand rooted in their love for the outdoors. Through their hand-carved prints, Rae captures the awe, stillness, and wild beauty of nature, spreading what she calls “the Woosah” one print at a time.

We sat down with Rae to talk about their creative process, theirconnection to Michigan’s wild landscapes, and the inspiration behind the Protect the Porkies collection.

What’s your name, where are you from, and what do you do?

• Hey! I’m Rae Lang. I was born in Detroit and grew up in Commerce, Michigan. These days, I live and work over on the west side of the state, I travel between Grand Rapids and Douglas, where I’ve been for the past 15 years or so. I’m a woodblock printmaker and the artist behind Woosah, which is an outdoor lifestyle brand that features my artwork on all kinds of goods and gear. We’ve got two shops and a café now, so when I’m not in the studio carving or printing, I’m usually at one of our spots hanging with the team or chatting with folks who stop in.

What motivates you to create? Where do you draw your inspiration from?

For me, there’s something magical about making something that didn’t exist before. I’ve always loved working with my hands and building things, which is probably why I fell in love with woodblock printmaking back in college. The process slows me down in the best way, it brings me into the present.

• You have a really unique medium combining physical art with digital design. Tell us more about the process of carving and how that feeds into your digital works.

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• Carving is hands-down my favorite part of the whole process. I usually don’t ink or print as I go, I like to carve the whole thing and wait until the end to pull the first print. That big reveal moment never gets old. Once I have the print, I scan it in and start playing digitally, turning it into a vector file, messing around with color, rearranging the elements. That’s when things really start to open up in a new way creatively.

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  Back when I first started Woosah, I was literally hand-printing each shirt with the woodblocks. They’d take like three days to dry, it was fun, but definitely not scalable. So I taught myself Illustrator so I could screen print more colors and make things a little more efficient. Now, I love seeing how one design can live in so many different ways, maybe it starts as a print, then becomes a bandana, a hoodie, a puzzle. That part feels like a puzzle in itself, and I genuinely love figuring it out.

• Tell us more about Woosah! What’s the story, how has it evolved, and what’s been your favorite project to work on?

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  Woosah actually started while I was still in art school. After classes, I’d just create for fun, no assignments, no pressure. The word “Woosah” is this calming mantra I used to say to myself to chill out. It just kind of stuck, and I started signing all my art with it. The idea was to “Spread the Woosah” to share that grounded, peaceful feeling that art and nature gave me.

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  After graduation, I took a leap and opened my first shop downtown Grand Rapids. My studio was in the back, and the front was the store, it felt super organic. Eventually we moved into a bigger space and added a café because community became such a huge part of it. Now we’ve been in Grand Rapids for 10 years, and our Douglas shop and café is about to turn four.

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  As for favorite projects, anytime I get to work on something that ties back to nature and gives back to a cause, I’m all in. This collab was a very satisfying project to work on. Some other highlights have been collaborations with Chaco, Merrell, Public Lands, The North Country Trail, and painting a mural at Ilex Forest Retreat.

• Tell us about your passions and how they show up in your work.What was it like bringing your art to life on Rumpl’s blankets?

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• Nature is my biggest teacher. I try to tune into it as much as I can, whether I’m out on a trail hiking, mountain biking, or just sitting still. A lot of my work comes from trying to capture a feeling or moment and processing what it means. It’s not always about being super literal or detailed. It’s more about expression and emotion, trying to get something across that’s personal but also universal in a way... I like giving people the space to see their own story in my work.

What was it like bringing your art to life on Rumpl’s blankets?

It was such a blast! I got to choose the cause, which made the project even more meaningful. The Porcupine Mountains are one of my favorite places, and Lake Superior has always inspired me, so the design came together really naturally. The challenge was thinking about how my carved art would translate onto Rumpl’s blankets and camp pillows, it’s a totally different medium, but it ended up working beautifully. I’ve already taken the samples on a bunch of adventures this summer. It makes me happy to think of others making memories with them, too.

• What was the theme and inspiration around your Rumpl design?
  
  

• The idea was to celebrate the beauty and wilderness of the Porcupine Mountains and Lake Superior. I included animals and a tent to really show how connected we are to these places, how they’re part of us, and we’re part of them. It’s a little reminder of how important it is to protect what we love.

What’s the best bit of advice you’ve ever received?

When I was in college and feeling unsure about turning art into a career, my aunt told me something like “You don’t need to know all the answers, you just need to follow your passion, and the path will unfold.” That stuck with me. The last 12 years with Woosah have been exactly that, one step at a time, trusting the process, and watching it grow into something I never could’ve fully planned.

Let’s talk about Protect the Porkies. What’s going on with the Copperwood development, and why should people care?

The Great Lakes hold about 21% of the world’s surface freshwater, that’s massive. Lake Superior, in particular, is incredibly pristine and powerful. The Copperwood mine is a real threat to that ecosystem. The process they use (sulfide-ore mining) can release toxic stuff like mercury and sulfuric acid, which could end up in Lake Superior and seriously damage the area’s water, wildlife, and beauty.

And the thing is, it’s not even a long-term project—only around 250 jobs for just over 10 years. It just doesn’t add up. Protect the Porkies has been doing such important work raising awareness and pushing back on the funding of this mine. If you’re curious, I definitely recommend checking them out and getting involved.

What’s next for Woosah?

My wife, our kids, and I just moved to Holland area near Lake Michigan, and we’re building out a new backyard studio that’ll house both my print shop and her ceramic studio. We’re so excited to explore new mediums together and are hoping to launch a joint ceramic collection this holiday season, fingers crossed we finish the space in time!

Beyond that, we’re just continuing to grow our spaces as little community hubs, places where folks can connect, get inspired, and feel grounded. If you ever find yourself in Michigan, come by and say hey! Our Grand Rapids shop is located at 738 Wealthy St SE, and our Douglas shop is located at 450 W Center st. You can also find us online at www.spreadingthewoosah.com and on socials @WoosahOutfitters!

Follow Rae Lang & Woosah Outfitters at @woosahoutfitters >

Learn more about Rae and their work here>

SHOP THE

RUMPL x RAE LANG

LIMITED EDITION COLLECTION

SHOP THE RUMPL x RAE LANG

LIMITED EDITION COLLECTION