As far back as I can remember, I have gravitated towards art. As a kid I would sit on the floor in front of the coffee table, drawing the animals in National Geographic, plus any and all horse photos I could find!
Over the years, while working full time in automotive and then graphic design & marketing, I experimented with many mediums, including colored pencil, pastel, ink wash, scratchboard and graphite. In 2006 I had the opportunity to study watercolor, a long-time interest. I’ve always loved the incandescent quality of watercolor paintings, so I jumped at the chance to take an Intro to Watercolor class. I’ve since studied with Tom Schaller, Don Andrews, Judi Betts, Donna Zagotta and Kay Barnes, concentrating on picking up their techniques and advice while working to build my own style.
A pair of milestones were reached in 2017; I achieved Signature Status in the Northwest Watercolor Society (NWWS) and was accepted into Parklane Gallery in Kirkland, WA. In addition, I began to offer demos, classes and one-day workshops.
By late 2019, a full slate of work, classes, gallery shifts and finding time to paint had me running ragged. When Covid shutdowns swept away in-person art events, classes and sales, I took a big step back, which turned into a two-year break from the business side of art.
During this time, I began to self-teach oil painting and dove into coloring books, journaling, mixed media and collage. The result of this period of wide-ranging study and experimentation is a more intuitive process and a shift toward more layered, textural pieces.
One question I get asked a lot is: why do I sign my paintings “Ré?” Growing up, my mom always called me Ré (pronounced “ray”) and I got used to signing things that way. When I started painting, it just felt natural!
My artist statement talks about my motivation as an artist.