Rena Charles: Saffron Meadow

4 x 5", Acrylic on Burlap

Rena Charles’ basis of creation is the belief that every entity has a unique essence. After painting trees for many years, Rena is fascinated with capturing the expressions of certain trees that resonate with her. Their observable moods are vastly different from one another and are affected by different times of the day, seasons of the year, and surrounding objects - both natural and man-made. In these paintings, the trees share the same root system, and much like humans, it is their ideologies, or “thought-DNA,” that has the potential to separate or unite them.

In another sense, Rena’s work germinates from a thought, and “grows” into a work of art. From a Black and Taiwanese multi-ethnic background and brought up in the South, her aesthetic is rooted in this rich and complex background. These influences are depicted in her artwork’s microcosms through their subjects, creative process, rough-hewn materials, freehand, color palette, and spirit.

Rena Charles has a BA in Art History with a Minor in Visual Art and Environmental Studies from Emory University. She currently resides in Sonoma County