Meet Marie Renfro in Allen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Renfro.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Marie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always loved to work with color, whether crayons or paint. After high school I started taking drawing lessons at the Oklahoma Museum of Art. Once I started learning how to draw and paint, I never wanted any other profession. After I moved to Allen, TX, I started teaching art classes for children and adults in my studio. I also became involved with 7 other women artists and for 21 years we ran Gallery VIII in West Plano. During this time I started to college finishing with an MFA in painting from Texas Woman’s University. Upon graduation I started teaching at Collin College and taught there for 8 years before retiring to spend more time painting in my own studio. I do painting demonstrations for area art groups and do workshops for various arts organizations. I also enter art shows all over the country and compete for money prizes. I have an annual tour of my studio every November for returning patrons and friends to see my new work for the year. I also organize a group of 17 other working artists for a two week painting trip to the Hill Country Arts Foundation in Ingram, TX. There we each paint for 10 days and enjoy the creative environment of each other and the opportunity to spend our days working and sharing ideas!!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not always been smooth because of the economy and times when paintings weren’t selling. In our Gallery we did framing and often that pulled us through tough times. Also, finding enough time to be a wife, mother, and artist has made for full days and nights. I always scheduled my art classes around the times that my children were in school so that I was always home with them. I have an exceptional husband and son who are very supportive and helping.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Marie Renfro – what should we know?
I am known for my creativity and bright colors in my paintings. I start a painting with a blank piece of paper and let the paint flow and suggest the finished piece. I love solving these pieces and find the happy accidents make for a looser painting. I also love to collage pieces of rice paper, pieces of my own printmaking pieces, and different textured pieces to my work. I use liquid acrylics like watercolor on paper or canvas with the result being a very textural piece. I feel that my success is that I have spent my life doing what I love to do and have helped other artists along the way.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I am a very caring person who awakes each day with the energy to dive into a hard painting task and loves to share that enthusiasm with other people. I also love people and am concerned with their lives. I am helping a young boy with the Make A Wish Foundation do a painting that he has wanted to do and I am finding that very rewarding. It has also been rewarding to see my former students become artists, architects, etc. and remember them as young students.

Contact Info:

• Address: 606 Keith Dr. Allen, TX
• Website: http://gallery8.com
• Phone: 2142320622
• Email: mrenfroart@aol.com
• Instagram: marierenfro
• Facebook: marierenfro

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