Today we’d like to introduce you to Renee Robison.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Growing up as a crafter, I felt the need to create, but never felt creative. Both my parents and my grandmother were painters, but the possibility alluded me. After a bad experience in high school art class, I shut down any thoughts of art and obtained a business degree. Accounting was too black and white for me, but a marketing degree was just the right fit landing me a 36-year career as a retail buyer for varied stores around the country.
I was fortunate enough to retire early in 2015. Wondering what to do with my new spare time, I enrolled in an oil painting class at the Craft Guild of Dallas. The first brushstrokes tingled all the way to my toes and fed my soul. Within a few weeks, I had carved out a space to paint at home and was applying paint to canvas every day. Daily painting creates a very quick learning curve, as well as a lot of inventory. By mid-summer, the house was becoming cluttered with canvas’ in every nook and cranny, they needed to find a home. Signing up for an online art platform created a few sales, as a former retailer, that also fed my soul.
Please tell us about your art.
Oil painting was my original medium and is still how I paint most days. But I’m inspired by lots of color so I’ve been experimenting with acrylic which offers a variety of bright and bold colors to paint. One of the early surprises was my ability to paint animals. I’ve never owned a dog, yet I seem to be able to capture their spirit on canvas. Pet portraits are one of the mainstays of my art business.
My other inspiration is travel. My husband and I began traveling extensively once we both retired. In 2017, we walked across northern Spain on a 500-mile pilgrimage called the Camino de Santiago. The nature we saw, the friends we made and the confidence gained by completing the journey was the most powerful experience of my life. It changed my art, I found myself taking more time to remember the scene I was painting, the shadows, the light, the colors. By the end of a year’s time, I had created a series of 50 paintings that were recently featured at the Goodrich Gallery in downtown Dallas.
We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
It is lonely if you don’t make the effort to get out and be social. I think it’s very important to take classes on a regular basis. It’s important to always be trying new techniques and styles so you don’t go stale. I’ve found my teachers to be informative and encouraging. Classes also provide time with a community of other artists that will inspire you with their talents and friendship.
Before retiring, a recently retired friend gave me the best advice: make an effort to do something outside of the house, every day. Those efforts have created several social and volunteer outlets, also opportunities to use my business skills as well as customers for my art. Now, I have to make an effort to stay home to paint.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I joined the Daily Paintworks website several years ago, featuring new paintings every day on their front page. They also offer their artists a Gallery Page to feature and sell product. You can buy my paintings or contact me to discuss on www.dailypaintworks.com website. I also post everything and can be contacted on my Facebook art page: An Artist in Bloom. You can also contact me through email and be added to my mailing list for upcoming art events.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tinyurl.com/anartistinbloom
- Email: reneer5643@hotmail.com
- Instagram: an_artist_in_bloom
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/anartistinbloom
Image Credit:
Renee Robison
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