The resist can also be dyed to create a visible outline of objects. The
finished fabric is steamed in order to fix the colors, after which it
can be mounted and framed as an art piece, or enjoyed as wearable
art in the form of scarves, bags, jewelry and ties.
“There are extra steps when compared to painting with water-
colors, but for me the result is worth it.” Renee said.
Her favorite art period is New Deal Art. During the Great
Depression, the Federal Art Project provided funds to support artists
as part of the New Deal program. She is particularly fond of Thomas
Hart Benton, a painter and muralist whose work won acclaim during
that era.
Renee’s point of reference for paintings generally comes from
photographs or sketches. Her Mediterranean-style scenes of
cafés and plazas include small details of the table settings and
shrubbery expressed in bright colors, without attention to exact
replication. Her technique of outlining objects is reminiscent of
post-Impressionist artists such as Paul Gaugin and Samuel Peploe.
In these scenes, she leaves the seats empty.
“I want people to feel like the table is waiting for them.”
Renee’s varied subjects include seascapes, leisure scenes (inspired
by her trips to the Mediterranean), area landscapes and her favorite,
plants – perhaps inspired by the colorful natural environment of her
rural upbringing.
The middle child of three siblings, Renee was born and raised on
an orchard farm in Gilroy to parents Ernie and Ann Filice. She was
exposed to the arts at an early age as her mother is an accomplished
artist in her own right. After graduating from Notre Dame High
School in Salinas, Renee received her undergraduate degree from
Santa Clara University and her master’s degree in Counseling
and Psychology from Stanford University, where she served as a
counselor for several years.
In 1983, Renee and her husband Ron Erskine moved to Morgan
Hill, where they built a house and raised their two children. Ron’s
locally known as a board member of the Pine Ridge Association and
the Committee for Green Foothills, and an avid backcountry trekker
whose column “Getting Out” appears in the Morgan Hill Times and
Gilroy Dispatch.
“We moved to Morgan Hill for Ron to start a new job in the
building business and we thought it would be a good place to raise
a family.”
Renee once taught art at Morgan Hill Country School (now
Oakwood School). When Ron co-founded Coast Range Brewery
in Gilroy, she contributed to marketing and sales efforts, and even
helped with the bottling on occasion. She also painted the mural on
the outside wall of the brewery. These days, she teaches silk painting
at Woodside’s Filoli Gardens, in Morgan Hill, and in Capitola. She
has also conducted one-day silk painting workshops for the Valley
Quilters Association.
As a Valle del Sur Art Guild member, Renee participates in the
guild’s Art Around Town program. Locally, her work is on exhibit at
Solis Winery in Gilroy through December 2nd, 2016. Her works are
also exhibited and sold through galleries in Morgan Hill, Los Olivos,
Kenwood, Capitola, and Carmel, and are in collections throughout
the U.S. and in Europe.
Renee is one of the lucky ones who finds her work incredibly
satisfying. Having recently returned from a vacation in Nova Scotia,
the silk paintings inspired by her time there will surely be satisfying
to viewers as well.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016
Dan Craig is a local artist
whose early works were in
the Realism style. He now
enjoys an Impressionistic
style. He lives in Morgan
Hill with his life partner, Kim.
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