Both Curator and Artist, Renée Fox has been inspired by natural connections since a young age.
Predominately an artist now, Renée Fox lives and breathes art, as she branches out from her originally inspired mural practice, and has honed her skills through pathways which enable her to more quickly develop and stylize her art. From her homebase of Inglewood, Renée Fox shares her gifts with Los Angeles at large. Fox was kind enough to share insights into her professional trajectory and personal practice: for which we are very grateful.
Q: How long have you been an artist? What has been your professional trajectory/arc?
A: I knew I wanted to be an artist when I was a child. Art has always been a way for me to connect with people. I did not attend traditional college; instead, I aimed directly at a career in the arts. I earned my BFA from Otis College of Art and Design in 2002 after a transfer to the Corcoran College of Art and Design, Washington DC when I relocated to LA in 2000. I made a nice space for myself in the LA art world through constant engagement with the art community, so LA would be hard to leave.
Q: How has your practice changed over time?
A: Over time, my practice has developed from drawings and paintings I showed through galleries and curatorial projects to public murals. Public art truly belongs to everyone so it can have a life outside of private exhibitions. I am currently working on two public projects- a commission for LA County to create a permanent mural for the Restorative Care Village (RCV) at UCLA in Sylmar and a mural for the Los Angeles World Airports Art Program for the newly built terminal 1.5 opening in January 2021. These two projects are important steps toward expanding my audience outside of California and internationally.
It is worth mentioning that it takes a lifetime to truly master technique as part of an art practice. I’ve worked in pencil and paint since I was very young. Even though I am now learning photoshop to help save time with proposal mockups and sketches, a combination of pencil and paint is integral to my work no matter what the scale, specifically because these media show the evidence of the human hand.
Q: What is your inspiration? Who has been an inspiration to you (professionally and personally)?
A: Nature is and has always been my muse. It is my main source of inspiration and so the looming threats to the environment also inspire my work with a sense of urgency.
Q: What has been an artistic challenge you have faced and how did you overcome this?
A: Art is my full time job, it affects how I interpret the world and it is how I respond to and learn from ideas and situations I find challenging. To be an artist is to care enough to speak up when I need to and to share my thoughts and imagination with others. Art is essential because it makes the world a better place.
Renee Fox’s vision for not only art, but her own art, is a peace and fellowship we all could reflect a little more on, especially in 2020.
Artist:
Renee Fox
About:
https://www.lawa.org/art-program/past-exhibits/2019/songs-of-freedom
[Credits below for photos]
Temptation of Faustus, 2017. Acrylic and graphite. 9 x 42 feet. Image courtesy OTIS College
Temptation of Faustus, 2017 (detail). Acrylic and graphite. 9 x 42 feet. Image courtesy OTIS College
Eve, 2015. Acrylic. 9.5 x 24 feet. Permanent collection of MOAH. Image courtesy the artist
Songs of Freedom: Renée Fox + Write Girl, 2019-2020 (detail). Acrylic latex and graphite. 8.5 x 218 feet. Photo by Panic Studio L.A., courtesy Los Angeles World Airports [LAWA] and City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs [DCA].