Artist Statement
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Through my paintings, I hope to share and inspire love and respect for the natural world... The ocean and cosmos have a beauty in their vastness that can make you feel small, casting worries and troubles into a new, and more manageable, perspective. As part of something so much larger than ourselves, there’s serenity in knowing that our lives are like drops of water in the ocean.
My painting style is a combination of abstract expressionism and rhythm-based paint application, with influence and inspiration from improvisational jazz, oceanography, and astronomy. I often approach a canvas with experimental techniques that can differ wildly from the finished piece. Music adds an essential rhythm, as soft washes gain strong, textured details brimming with organic movement. Each brush stroke seeks to bring out the best of its neighbors, to collectively create a thing of beauty. As a proud environmental advocate, I volunteer as a New York City tree steward in my community, and can often be found cleaning the beaches of Far Rockaway, paying respect to the Atlantic Ocean, my eternal well of inspiration. |
Artist Bio
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A native of the Ocean State, Renée began her artistic career studying Theatre at the University of Rhode Island. During her BFA, she would often visit Monet’s Waterlilies at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, and still draws upon the Impressionist masters for inspiration. After completing an MFA in Costume Technology at the University of Texas, Austin, Renée relocated to New York City. Prior to the pandemic, she worked as a tailor and costume supervisor for the Metropolitan Opera, but is currently focusing on sharpening her expressionistic painting style.
As an emerging artist of Astoria, Queens, Renée’s most recent project was an extensive collaboration with TINSTY, a co-worker and fellow artist. “Aqueous Isolations” began as a shared love letter to the ocean, but evolved into an exploration of isolated collaboration during the pandemic. The work culminated with a live performance and virtual art gallery at FirstLive Studios in Bushwick, and ended with a series of 21 small-scale paintings devoted to ocean advocacy and endangered corals of the world. |
"The cure for anything is salt water;
sweat, tears, or the sea."