Today we’d like to introduce you to Renee King.
Hi Renee, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always had 2 passions in my life…art and music. In college, I decided to major in music and minor in art. That didn’t last long because I realized in addition to studying I would be spending hours in a practice room or art studio. I really wanted to see the light of day so I decided to drop the art minor thinking I would continue to paint in my free time. That also didn’t happen. Life became busy. Right after receiving my Bachelor’s degree from UMD, I was offered a teaching assistant position at UMD where I continued my studies obtaining a Master’s degree. From there came a very fulling teaching career, marriage and children, Art really took a back seat until I took a community education watercolor class and met Katherine Salverda. She is an awarded pastel artist who was teaching the class. Through small talk, I found out she liked to sing. One thing led to another and we wound up exchanging voice lessons for pastel lessons. My teaching career was well established and my children were much older so I found myself with time to pursue my other passion, art. Pastel painting was my main medium for over 20 years. I retired from teaching in 2009. In 2010 I decided to spend a day exploring Stillwater. I had been in the Stillwater Artist Guild Gallery before and enjoyed looking at all of the art but didn’t think I had anything to offer. The night before my husband and I was Chinese takeout for dinner and of course, it came with fortune cookies. I opened my cookie and saw the reading, “You need to take the chance that is coming your way.” The timing was pretty profound for me and I thought what the heck, go for it! So I packed up a few pieces stopped by the gallery. As it turned out another pastel artist was leaving at the end of the month and so there was an opening for me. They liked my work and I have been there ever since. My love of watercolor came later. In 2019 my husband and I were offered a teaching position at an American school in Bratislava, Slovakia. It had always been a dream to live overseas for a while so my husband and I decided to accept the positions. I was still actively painting with pastels but knew they wouldn’t travel well so I looked around for a place to learn more about watercolors. One day on my way out the day at our local YMCA I saw a flyer about a watercolor class that was being offered by the award-winning watercolor artist Lucy LeMay. I jumped at the opportunity. I took every class she offered at the Y until I left. While overseas, the pandemic hit and so she offered classes via zoom. The classes were held in Minnesota at 10:00 in the morning but with the 7-hour time difference it was 5:00 in the evening in Slovakia and I was able to continue with lessons. I still work with her now that I am back in Minnesota. I continue to use pastels and watercolors.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest hurdle is confidence in myself. I am always amazed when I hear people liking my work and then buying a piece. My husband calls me an artist and deep down I know I am but I have a hard time calling myself that. I tend to say I am a musician before saying I am an artist. Starting a new piece is somewhat intimidating to me. I hate wasting materials and so I become nervous and start thinking, “what if it doesn’t turn out?” I then have to remind myself of something my teacher Katherine said to me. “Renee, you are not Michelangelo! It is a sheet of paper, not a slab of marble.” When I think of it like that, it gets me started again.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a retired music educator. I have taught music in grades 3 through college age. Not at the same time. I started out teaching middle school choir and general music. After 10 years at that age level, I moved to the high school level and was the choral director and musical director. During that tenure, I also taught a music theory and music foundation course through the local community college. I was also a church choir director for 17 years. I thoroughly enjoyed making music with students and adults. After retiring for a couple of years my husband and I shared a headmaster’s position at a private school in our community. The school was closing down and our job was to help the staff, students and parents through this process. It was a difficult position because the school was wonderful but not able to be financially solvent. Then after several years, we returned to teaching in Slovakia. My husband says we are terrible at retiring. I think instead of retiring I have rebooted into visual arts. I think one of the things that I am most proud of professionally was being selected Minnesota Music Teacher of the Year in 2005/06. Art-wise, I am very proud of several awards that I received on some of my pastel paintings.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My biggest cheerleader has been my husband, Charles. He is a wonderful critic of my work. He is not at all afraid of telling me things he doesn’t see working and so I know when he says he loves something, it works. I sometimes post pieces on Facebook and I really appreciate the likes that my Facebook friends give. I have had three wonderful teachers, Katherine Salverda, Doug House and Lucy LeMay. They not only gave me support they have taught me new techniques and pushed me to try things. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the artists at the Stillwater Art Guild Gallery. They are a group of wonderful artists who are so supportive. I love when a customer comments on my work but when a fellow artist, whose work I respect, says something positive about a piece I really gain confidence. Lou Cunico and the Gallery’s owner Bob Lyksett are just two of these artists who have been so supportive of my work and me as an artist. I value their opinions so much because their work is incredible.
