Meet Renae: A newly Certified Artist

Renae is a Piece by Piece artist who has been with us since before COVID. The pandemic delayed her certification, but she was recently able to complete her training to become a level one certified artist. As a level one certified artist, she had to master core concepts in mosaic art including safety, cutting, adamento, color theory, finishing techniques, and more. We took some time to talk to Renae  about her time at Piece by Piece and her plans for the future!

What does it mean to you to get your certificate?
I actually had to wait 3 years to get it. I was supposed to take my test the week COVID lockdown started so that kinda put a hold on things, but now I was able to finish it! When you have something to achieve, you feel complete. And now that I actually have it and I feel so blessed and good. It’s a good chance for me to be able to sell things while working to improve my life. 

What got you started in art?
I started out sculpting in High School. I actually got a scholarship for it! I have always wanted to create and make art and I do all kinds of stuff like tye dye, painting, mosaic, multimedia, music, and whatever I can think of. I just love to create. 

You use a lot of different materials in your art. What inspires you to choose your materials?
The broken imperfection makes the piece perfect. Reminds me of myself. I’m broken but I’m working to put myself together. It’s a piece of art made of broken pieces, and it may not be as strong as it was before but it’s as strong as it can be now. There’s this lady on youtube that I’ve been watching for years. She creates hats out of trash from the streets in NYC. Art can come from anywhere, recycled materials just speak to me.

How long have you been with Piece by Piece?
I found piece by piece in 2019 when I was about to become houseless. I went to the Law Libray and saw some people selling these cute little mosaic pieces. I was so excited because I had done mosaic before and I was talking to them and mentioned that I wanted to take classes but could never find any. They invited me to come to join and since then I’ve been coming as much as I can! 

What was your experience with workshops over COVID?
I was bummed because this was my outlet for peace from the city. It’s my recess from the “class” that is real life. Then Dawn called to send me stuff so we could follow along at home and I was so excited. It kept me busy and inspired me to get more stuff done over COVID. I started to look for more and more things to use to create. One time I painted over a bunch of those canvases people make at those paint and drink classes things. It was fun to have to find different things to create with. I used spray paint cans, frames, and other random materials to make mosaics and other forms of art. 

What are your plans for the future now that you have your certificate?
I want to create a higher caliber of work. I am working on some of Piece by Piece's commissions. I love murals. I have a friend who does a lot of murals and I’ve been able to help him work on a big piece and it’s cool. Even though all I did was just paint a huge part of a wall one color to make just the sky for his mural, it was great to be a part of this huge piece that I knew lots of people would walk by every day. It would be so cool to just work on something somewhere where hundreds or thousands of people could see it. 

How would you quantify success for yourself? 
I don’t care if I’m rich, I just want to be known. I feel like I’m not shining and am stuck in the dark. I just hope to be someone that is known in the art world. 

Now that Renae is a Level 1 Certified Artist, she is able to sell her art on the Piece by Piece website and begin to grow her career as an artist. You can also learn a bit more about her on her artist page. Be sure to check out her newest mosaics and keep coming back to see what new and amazing creations she’s made!