MEET

RENÉE BOTT

Renée is a printmaker turned artist. Her works are based on the intricate lines found in both etchings and engravings from the 15th-17th centuries. She has also based many of her works on tapestries from the same era. Renée examines stories, images, text and handwriting from the past as a way of understanding “how we got here today”.

She collects source materials from museums, antique print dealers, the Internet and private collections. She photographs the items and uses digital programs to modify the images, which serve as general outlines for her compositions. The interweaving of text and antique visual imagery gives her work a tactile tapestry quality.

Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration from stories that are told through all communication formats: oral, written and visual. I love looking at old handwriting, old etching and tapestries. I like using these antiquated methods of communication as a starting point to tell my own stories through my work.

- Renée Bott

What do you hope people will take away from your work?

I hope that viewers will connect to my use of subtle historical references in my work and relate to our shared history. I hope they will take a moment to reflect on the past, perhaps even feel nostalgic for a time before the internet - when we lived in a slower paced world, when we had time to actually read books and hand write letters to one another.

- Renée Bott