Rene Conti - Artist Statement

As a young girl, if I couldn’t be outside playing, I was inside creating any arts or craft I could get my hands on.

As a teenager in Chicago I was lucky enough to attend a high school that had an entire wing dedicated to art, so I had the opportunity to experiment with every medium. I continued to study and practice art in college, but it was a move to Florida as a young adult that helped feed my passion for painting, especially en plein air.

I was so taken with the beauty of Florida’s beaches flora and fauna that I spent as much time as I possible could painting outdoors. The quiet of nature; her beautiful soft colors, the gentle sounds of the waves and wind all found their way into my oil paintings. Visits to other parts of this country and the world brought even more en plein air opportunities. My paintings reflect the calm and peace that I feel in heart and body, that is my nature.

With the arrival of Covid, my backyard and home studio became my sanctuary. There I could paint safely alone, and eventually with family and fiends. It was during this time that I discovered I no longer had to be outside or in front of what I was painting; over the years, thousands of beautiful scenes had been etched into my memory and would seemingly flow from my mind’s eye onto my canvas. Studio work also allowed me to work in a larger scale. I found that I could invoke the same energy in abstracts as I did in my seascapes.

Hurricane Ian brought near total devastation to my home and home studio. No longer living there, I decided to rebuild the structure as a studio with a guest room rather as a home.

Today I am fortunate to continue doing what I love… creating pieces that make me feel peaceful and happy, and I hope they have the same effect on you.