A Still Day Painting

Renee is a Canadian mixed media realism artist painting out of her studio in Sherwood Park, Alberta. At a very early age, Renee began to take a strong interest in sketching and drawing often sitting with her mother while she would often do oil paintings. She initially started with drawing but after proving to have a natural talent and a sharp eye for detail, quickly advanced to paintings in watercolor and acrylic. In a short time, Renee started entering in numerous competitions receiving various top awards. At the age of 17, she was sponsored by Picture This Framing and Gallery in Sherwood Park, Alberta to take a class with renowned artist Sue-Ellen Ross. Almost immediately, Renee fell in love with Sue-Ellen’s mixed media style and decided to implement some of the same technique into her own work. Since then, Renee has been recognized in various local art competitions across North America receiving multiple awards for her work. In 2009, designed a commission piece for the University of Alberta’s Graduate Engineering Department and won with a unanimous panel of judges. The piece called “Unity” can be viewed in the ETLC building, second floor at the University of Alberta. Currently, Renee is a full time artist creating original designs and commissions. Being a self taught artist, she brings a unique style and technique to her work. Her love of vibrancy, texture and detail influences her paintings to a living and breathing feel. Renee’s intention is to draw her viewer in not only by capturing an image or moment but most importantly a feeling. Artist Statement: The human perception incorporates a melding of feeling and emotion experienced at a particular moment in time by the viewer. The notion is that nothing is simply seen but rather felt in a moment burning a memory in the mind. They say a picture can tell a thousand words but a painting can transport you to another place. Whether it is a memory of trees swaying in the wind on a warm summer day or a precious moment gazing over a field of flowers with a loved one, I aspire to draw the viewer in to create their own story. My goal as an artist is to not only stimulate the mind with lucid imagery but encourage the viewer to use their other senses. Can you hear the sounds of wind through heavy branches by a lake shore, or the crash of waves on a beach at sunset? I often use color and texture to help bring the viewer to these places.