René Smith
René Smith is a painter and the founder of Berkeley Painting Club. She received her M.F.A. in Painting from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and her B.A. in Painting from Bennington College in Vermont.
René has taught painting and drawing at every level — from portfolio preparation for high school students to beginning undergraduate and MFA-level painting courses — at institutions including Tyler School of Art, Moore College of Art & Design, St. Thomas Aquinas College, Temple University Rome, and Chiang Mai University in Thailand. Her teaching emphasizes close observation, material exploration, and the development of each student's own artistic perspective.
Alongside teaching, René maintains an active studio practice. She recently presented a solo exhibition of her pastel drawings at Et Al Gallery in San Francisco, and her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. René founded Berkeley Painting Club to expand access to thoughtful, high-quality art programming for older kids, teens, and adults across the East Bay.
Rene’s Website
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