Interview

Written By Editorial Team

Renée Miller

Renée is a painter of colorful, joyful abstracts working in acrylics from my Campbell studio in Northern California. Growing up in the town of Los Gatos, just a short drive over a mountain thick with Redwood trees to the beautiful coast of Santa Cruz, scenes of nature's beauty were all around her. Then, when she was 18, Renée was struck with a surprise mental illness that had her hallucinating in a manic episode during her second week in college. The life of adventure and travel she’d imagined slipped through her fingers. After that, all she could manage was to hang on to simple survival. She was, however, able to study painting and figure drawing at Santa Clara University and even earned a Master's of Fine Arts degree from Antioch University in 2007. Now at 45, Renée lives only one town over in Campbell, still going to the same movie theaters and restaurants she did as a child. Painting gives her a powerful, joyful outlet for her feelings and helps her stay positive.

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“I’ve always been an artist at heart, but it was only later in life that I began to pursue the passion with any dedication. A spectacular painting class at Stanford University inspired me to paint and once I got running with it, I didn’t want to stop. I painted animals, landscapes and running feet plus a few abstracts. I painted for the joy of it. Then came a bipolar depression that had me go on a five year hiatus from painting. This April, I dug out my painting supplies and returned to my passion with a new zeal, fueled by the joy and self-worth I found in picking up painting again.”

What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?

“My work is a portrayal of my own journey of self-discovery in a world where bipolar depression has caused me to stumble repeatedly. As Albert Camus wrote, ‘In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.’ I found joy and empowerment in painting and I want my collectors to feel that when they look at my paintings. I want them to bring people a burst of joy and a passion for life because there is so much room for beauty and delight in this world.”

Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?

“Most of my work begins in my head where I plan out what I want to do with my blank canvas. I think about the overall structure of the painting, what colors and brushstrokes will go where and what the general strategy will be. Once I’m painting, however, the experience becomes more improvisational, with room for bursts of inspiration enhancing the planned painting.”

“My work is a portrayal of my own journey of self-discovery in a world where bipolar depression has caused me to stumble repeatedly.”

Are there any art world trends you are following?

“I don’t really follow trends. I paint what I want to paint for the sake of painting, not selling.”

What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?

“I work with acrylic paints on canvas. I love the immediacy of acrylic paints. They dry fast and are very forgiving of mistakes.”

 What does your art mean to you?

“My art is an outpouring of my vibrant, creative soul. It is both passion and purpose in my life. It means the world to me.”

What’s your favourite artwork and why?

“My favorite painting has always been Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. I love how he found a unique way to put his passionate soul on canvas to show us the incandescent beauty of the world around us that people too often ignore.”

Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?

“There was a Women Suffragists Art Exhibit in the Women Souring Project Gallery in Rocklin California that was exciting to be a part of. It’s fun to get your work out there no matter what, but I’ve always been impressed by the suffragists who worked so hard to get women the right to vote in a time when there was such overwhelming opposition.”

 
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