About Renée Plevy

Highly acclaimed international portrait artist, Renée Plevy, has captured the attention of art lovers, students and aficionados for more than 35 years. 

Starting with a box of pastels at an early age and an inherited innate ability, Renée Plevy’s love of art has taken her through a lifelong creative journey.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Renée received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University and went on to study her craft under some of the top portrait artists in the world at the Art Student’s League and the School of Visual Arts.

Renée’s paintings have been featured in more than 65 shows and galleries, including a one-woman museum show at the Paterson Museum.  She has received national attention and garnered numerous awards including “Artist of the Year” from The Bloomfield Art League and First Prize from the Boca Raton Museum Artist’s Guild.

Commissioned to paint some of the world’s notable celebrities, Renée had a chance to paint former NY Mayor Ed Koch, Countess Henrietta de Hoernle and a life-sized mural of Mickey Mantle. Renée has received acclaim for pet portraiture as well, which includes true to life images of dogs, cats, birds and horses. A true perfectionist, each inner spirit is meticulously captured and reflected on canvas.

Currently, Renée paints and teaches in South Florida. Life in the Sunshine State has influenced her color palate, which now reflects the colors of the tropics - the sky’s cobalt blue and myriad shades of green.

With each completed portrait, Renée reflects on the journey that brought it to life. Her special relationship with each subject, whether in person or through photographs, makes every unveiling a rewarding experience.

 “My goal is for my work to be loved and enjoyed.  When a client tells me how much it means to them to see the results of my creation, there is no greater joy."

Awards

• Coral Springs Open Juried Art Competition, Coral Springs, FL -Juror's Mention - 2006
• Sugar Sand Park-"Red Hot and Artsy" -Third Place - 2006
• Boca Raton Museum Guild – “Images: October 2005” First Prize -2005
• WITVA , "Opening Gala" Honorary Mention - 2005
• Bloomfield Art League, Artist of the Year Award
• Bloomfield Art League, Professional Oils, Second Place
• Art Gallery of SO/Maplewood, Reale Award for Oil Painting
• New Brunswick Festival of Art, New Brunswick, NJ, Oils, Third Place

Teaching and Lecturing

• Salon at the Nathan Rosen Gallery - "Portraiture" - 2006
• Private Art Lessons at artist's studio
• Palm Beach Community College, Boca Raton, FL- Adjunct Professor “Seeing Through the Eyes of an Artist” and "Explore your Head - a 2D-3D Journey" Summer Youth College - 2005-2006
• WITVA, Portraiture - 2005-6
• Bergen Community College, Englewood, NJ, Portraiture – Guest Speaker - 1995
• Daughters of Miriam, Clifton, NJ- Lectures/Painting Exhibitions/ Museum Trips - 1991-1993
• Barnes & Noble, Livingston, NJ – Portraiture demonstration - 1997
• Private Lessons at artist's studio - 1985-1988
• West Orange School System, West Orange,NJ,Demonstration/Lectures, Classroom - 1984-1986
• West Orange Library, West Orange, NJ, Portrait Demonstrations -1987
• Stuyvesant Adult Center, NY, NY, Four Semesters, Plus Summer Classes -Portrait Painting classes -1981-1982
  The School of Visual Arts, NY, NY, Four Semesters of Portrait Painting Classes - 1981-1982

Professional Affiliations

• Boca Raton's Museum Artist Guild Artist Guild- 2005 - Present
• Women in the Visual Arts(WITVA) 2002-Present
• Bloomfield Art League, Bloomfield, NJ 1991-2
• Metropolitan Portrait Society, New York City: 1987 -1989
• Art Center of New Jersey, Upsala College, Riker Hill, NJ - 1987-1989
• Artists Equity, NY, NY- "Committee for formation of Metro Visual Arts Center":1978-1982
• 41 Union Square Art Association, NY, NY: 1980-1982

Education

• The School of Visual Arts, NY, NY
• Parsons, NY, NY 1979
• The Art Students' League, NY, NY
• Boston University, Boston, MA, BS - Education