Renzo
Renzo was born on April 11, 1953 in Martinez, California and raised in the state’s Bay Area. He has since spent one year in Brisbane, Queensland Australia, six years in Yelapa, Jalisco Mexico and nine years in San Diego, California. The youngest of three brothers, Renzo was raised within a conservative and strictly religious environment by his father, a retired Baptist pastor and house painter.
Renzo’s paintings express and communicate his observations of what he believes to be the basic qualities that separate humanity from the inanimate objects that surround it. His passion for Latin America continues to be a catalyst for his work.
Renzo’s images are opaque with transparent overlays to form composites, ranging from the figurative to abstract expressionism. In his 39 years of painting, Renzo has experimented with a variety of techniques and styles. He has always use of water paints, because of his connection with their unique qualities on the canvas. Building layer upon layer in a process of construction and illustrated depth, Renzo depicts metaphors and variables on relationships, spirituality, intent, and even tribal similes. His practice of alchemy, use brush strokes and habit of scratching at the surface of the canvas to produce a primal nature to these imaginary vehicles help to convey an ever illusive inspiration through each painting.
With no formal academic education in the fine arts, Renzo began addressing his artistry as a profession early on in life and was represented by his first gallery before graduating from high school. During the same period, he worked as an Editorial Cartoonist for the local newspaper.
Renzo has shown his work throughout California and is in the permanent collections of the de Young Museum in San Francisco and the Crocker Museum in Sacramento. His work is also represented in the ongoing exhibition for the Kaiser Corporation, as well as public and commercial galleries in Chicago, Kentucky, Germany and Mexico.
While painting, he has held various positions within the visual arts arena including: illustrator, art director, graphic designer and exhibit designer. He had also worked as an instructor and the career development administrator at The Art Institute of California, in San Diego, California where he was responsible for faculty management, curriculum development and undergraduate instruction.
Currently Renzo is residing in Southern, California where he is painting full time, Renzo’s creations portray a level of tactile skill and competence that evoke a personal involvement from the viewer.