renee steger simpson

The themes in my work range from serious to satirical and are deeply influenced by my life, memories and imagination. I was raised in west Texas and have always been surrounded by art and creativity. I began focusing on watercolor in 1990 and first showed my work in a gallery in 1994. Since then, my work has been shown here and there and everywhere—even abroad! Beginning in the late 90’s I added collage, mixed media, oil painting, and more recently acrylics. I am continuously inspired by the energy that flows from soul to visual.

My most popular images are the Snooty Women Series®. These ladies have enough attitude to share with each and every one of us and aren’t afraid to do just that. They first began to manifest themselves in my memory as a result of childhood stints in charm school, etiquette workshops and modeling classes that my parents signed me up for in their attempts to improve my social graces. While the classes did not succeed in their intended endeavors, they provided me with the inspiration that fuels my work today. The Snooty Women Series® surfaced for the first time in 1992 after a major confrontation with three co-workers. To work out my frustrations, I began making random marks in my studio later that evening, and the Snooty Women were born.

I have recently begun a series of saints that were inspired by time spent painting in the Umbria region of Italy. I am fascinated by the lives of these extraordinary human beings who dared to become more through their incredible faith and passion for their purpose in life. The saints are for all of us and are my heroes. I try to use shape and color to entice the viewer to look beyond the religious connotation of saints and deeper into the lives of those who went before us and can show us how to realize our truest and best potential.

Churches and landscapes also make up a large body of my work, and these come from childhood memories of time spent in New Mexico and of more recent times spent painting on location there and in Italy. In these two geographically different regions, I found many similarities in geometric shapes and colors. I enjoy exploring just how small our world really is in the process of comparing and contrasting these physical similarities in my work.