Rus Prupas paints reflections of a life brimming with color 

When you look at Rus Prupas’s vibrant artwork it’s hard to believe she only began painting five years ago. But for Rus, mother of 11, former fashion designer, high school teacher, and now acclaimed artist, every stop on the way was part of the journey

“Life is a journey, and Hashem places each person in the right place at exactly the right time, to do what’s best for them at that moment,” Rus says. “And then the time comes when it’s no longer right — and then it’s time to move on.”

Montreal-based artist Rus Prupas’s journey brims with color — both literally and figuratively. She radiates a calm tranquility as she describes her multifaceted career path.

“Hashem gave me a natural creativity and the artistic talent to see things and portray them on paper, but I never thought it could be a profitable profession,” Rus says. “I knew how to draw naturally, and I took a class in portrait painting when I first got married. However, although I did well in the class, we worried that portrait painting wouldn’t be profitable.”

After several years in which Rus was immersed in raising her large family, with art placed on the back burner, Rus turned to clothing manufacturing. She opened her own business, AMICI, which became a popular line of teen clothing. She would draw designs, have them manufactured, and ran the business together with her oldest daughter, Elisheva.

“When my daughter got married, she took over the business, branching out with the name FAME,” Rus says. “It happened over time — first she’d just sell my designs, and then slowly it made more sense for her to take over that part of the business as well.”

Rus states this matter-of-factly; she’s a woman who believes with all her heart that at each stage of her life, she’s placed exactly where she needs to be. “Hashem opens doors, I just follow,” she says.