Reneé Lawter's photostream  

Reneé Lawter grew up in Scranton, PA with sticky east coast summers and the cold snowy winters where she wished she was Jackie Paper in Puff the Magic Dragon up until she was 5 years old. Her mom read story books to her before bed time turning her on to such stories as "The Pirates' Tale" by Janet Aitchison and Jill McDonald & Babar visits another planet by Laurent de Brunhoff that simply feed the imagination that is now creating characters that have been called whimsically dark.

She studied Fine Arts @ Keystone College a private very focused art school where she did bronze casting, photography, arch welding, pottery, & oil painting just to name a few. Reneé then proceeded to NYC to get her Bachelors degree in TOY Design at FIT with honors & began her career at Tyco Toys where she interned just outside of Philidelphia. The long cold winters pushed her off to the West Coast for some sunshine @ MATTEL Toys in 1996 . Her job was developing Plush toys & product lines for Disney & Pixar properties and after 3 years she left & entered the Fashion industry. At JNCO IND. she created juniors fashion in the form of 50" Raver/Club JEANS & did some small events for the company when she realized after a year it was simply not for her. She left and Founded EYERUS INC a Boutique Graphic Design Agency in 1999 with her 2 partners whom she's known since college & now she's split just like a classic Gemini running Eyerus by day & painting by moonlight in her home studio.

The latest solo exhibition of Reneé Lawter @ the Black Maria Gallery in February of 2009 titled “Welcome to the Greenhouse” is a direction of work in conservation and preservation that uses her characters to deliver this potent message. This body of work is consistent with what Reneé is known for, unique characters with crooked smiles that welcome the viewer into a world both foreign & familiar. Her use of sepia tones combined with beautifully chosen vintage frames force the viewer to take a more serious look at these cuddly monsters as she masterfully balances her wit and message within the confines of each piece.

The subject matter lays bare the wastefulness of our consumer culture, yet delivers it’s meaning in small bite size portions. Playful characters charm the viewer into thought with each global issue that is addressed. Reneé uses her uncanny ability to present her point of view through images with which you can’t help but to sympathize.

Reneé has been creating incredible creatures for over 20 years. She currently lives with her husband Jeff & her Japanese fighting fish, Mr. Fishy Von Fishenburg in Los Angeles, showing frequently throughout southern California and spreading into Berlin, Australia & Amsterdam. Her artwork is sought after by famous Hollywood types such as Danny Elfman & Bobby lee of MAD TV.

Galleries & organizations she's shown at include: ESPN XGames, Global Inheritance Org., Black Maria Gallery in Atwater, 1988 gallery on Melrose, Monkey House Toys in Silverlake, The HIVE Gallery & Studios, Black Market Gallery in Culver City, Strychnin Gallery in Berlin ect.
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