New Feature Exhibition in March February 15 2024
10,000 HOURS
Paintings by René Guerin
On Exhibit: March 2 - 30, 2024
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 2, 4-7 PM
Click to browse and shop exhibition.
Dogs @ Play by René Guerin
About the Exhibition
Vero Beach oil painter and sculptor, René Guerin, is known for her expressive, carefree paintings that draw inspiration from daily life in coastal Florida. While her work is rooted in realism, she emphasizes expressive characteristics more through her use of gestural brush strokes, flattened or distorted perspectives, unconventional compositions, and unique color combinations.
The title of this exhibition references the 10,000-hour rule, popularized by author Malcolm Gladwell, which suggests that it takes approximately 10,000 hours to become an expert in any field. René has been painting since high school and has developed a steady painting routine over the years, easily surpassing the confines of this rule.
Guerin’s curiosity and openness to experimentation are important to her art practice, which is evident in the diversity of new work presented in this exhibition. One new technique that Guerin is exploring involves broad washes of color with thin paint and medium. This process allows her to create simple compositions against desaturated backgrounds that evoke a strong sense of movement and flow.
Guerin has also included several new night scenes in this display. These scenes capture a range of moods, from the solitary glow of an empty pool at night, as shown in the piece titled Night Pool to a lively evening campsite gathering, depicted in Chispas, in which the warm glow of the fire illuminates the scene.
While Guerin regularly explores a range of subject matter and techniques, she has also developed a unique and easily recognizable style, full of energetic, animated brushstrokes that bring her subjects to life. As Guerin explains, “My work is a visual record of how everyday life intersects with the creative process. Through my work as an artist, I draw inspiration from the people and places familiar to me, as well as concepts and techniques from art history that interest me. I have explored a range of stylistic approaches over the years and now have the freedom to pull from these techniques and methods to choose the ones that best suit each subject.”
René Guerin has been represented by Arts on Douglas since 2001 and this is her fifth solo exhibition at the gallery.
About the Artist
René Guerin received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Florida State University. Guerin has over 40 years of painting experience and has participated in solo, juried, and group exhibitions throughout the United States, including the Boca Raton Museum of Art; the Florida Gulf Coast Art Center; Bellaire; and the Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach. Her work is currently included in the permanent collections of the Vero Beach Museum of Art, Vero Beach, Florida; the Foosaner Art Museum, Melbourne, Florida; and the Morris Museum, Augusta, Georgia.
Image1: Night Pool by René Guerin
Image 2: Chispas by Reré Guerin