Meet Renea Menzies
Renea Menzies is celebrated for her vibrant sculptural floral paintings working exclusively with oils and a pallet knife. She layers rich jewel toned colors to create jewel tone sculptural flower petals and leaves on a separate surface before delicately transferring them onto the painting, creating a striking three dimensional effect. Once the paint is partially dry she applies a final glaze that enhances the buttery texture and luminous quality of each piece. Her intention is not to replicate nature, but to vibrantly portray the distinctive form and movement of each pedal and leaf to reflect both the light and shadows of each individual floret. A former international model who walked the runways around the world, Renea eventually returned to the United States to pursue her true passion for art. Now based in between Aspen, Colorado and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Painting is a complete release for her free spirited approach and is reflected in the vibrant explosion of color and texture in her work.
Renea is an important figure in the Reflection Movement guided by its founder and her mentor J.D. Miller. Her sculpted oil flowers have gained recognition from galleries, collectors and art enthusiasts across the country. Renea's work has been featured in prominent exhibitions and publications, including Art Quarterly, Modern Luxury, American Art Collector, and Hollywood Magazine. Her cover and artist profile on Art Business News created a splash in the industry. Through her art she strives to evoke deep emotion in viewers, believing as Maya Angelo said “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget the way you made them feel”.
The Artist's Journey
Art is a powerful form of expression and connection. Renea Menzies is known for her sculpted oil painting technique, which blends traditional methods with rich texture, depth, and dimension. Using oil paints and palette knife work, she builds layered floral compositions that feel both organic and sculptural, turning flowers into expressive forms of movement, light, and emotion.
Inspired by nature, vibrant florals, and everyday emotions, her work reflects a clear creative vision. Each piece is carefully developed through layered textures and refined details, creating paintings that combine strong craftsmanship with emotional storytelling.
A Houston Wildflower: The Passion of Artist Renea Menzies
Artist and model: the two distinct yet complimentary pieces that solve the puzzle of many great masterpieces. One sits at the canvas to toil with paint and brush while the other serves as muse and strikes a pose. How different yet necessary both are to some of the greatest works of art in the world. One requires a great deal of introspection and reflection while the other often has a strong physicality and social delicacy to them. That’s why it’s rare to find an artist who can do both jobs and Renea Menzies is one of those rare people.
Renea, Houston native and proud mother of two, has lived a life of accomplishment with success in two very rewarding careers. She now spends her days in the studio as an artist of growing renown, but her teens and twenties were spent on the bright lights of the runway as a model. It’s not a career evolution that you would not expect, but it is one that makes perfect sense for Renea.
She remembers the day that she was discovered quite clearly. She was eating with her family at a restaurant one day. A gorgeous 15-year-old girl that had blossomed from her childhood tomboyish self, she turned the head of a modeling agent and was approached with a job offer. Before she knew it, Renea was flying from Paris to Tokyo and all the fabulous places in between while still attending high school.
Her modeling was quite a success, Renea was able to work in nearly every field that a model can. She starred in commercials, strutted down the runway, and posed for photos. For her it was fun career. She loved the extravagance that was this great game of dress up. She loved it enough to stay with it for 12 years before retiring and moving to the other side of the camera to work for models as a photographer and make-up artist. While she excelled at it, the profession as a whole just didn’t hold the same spark for her anymore. She moved back to Houston, got married, raised her children, and started to settle down in general.
Or at least, she thought she was settling down until a friend told Renea how she was spending her free time painting. Renea took interest and joined her in these painting sessions. At first, it was just a way to hang out and have fun on Fridays, slowly discovering and enjoying her new craft.
During her experimentation, Renea learned mostly through trial and error. She experimented with sand and metal. She drew influence from Vincent Van Gogh, Jackson Pollock, and Diana Powell. She kept trying new things until she landed on the style and pieces that make up her most well known work today, her sculpted oil flower paintings. By sculpted, I mean that she coats her canvas with enough paint to make it three-dimensional and then molds it on the canvas.
It was sometime after she started taking up art that her life took a sudden shift as she and her husband divorced. Unsure what to do with her new life, Renea did something a little unexpected. She picked up her favorite pieces, walked down to the nearby art gallery, and just started asking curators if they could help her find galleries that would like her work.
One of the advantages of her previous modeling career is that Renea isn’t afraid of criticism. After meeting fashion designers and modeling agents who would tear her apart for her looks, critiques of her art really aren’t able to faze her. She just has too much self-confidence for that as she plunged into the art world. Mingling and networking at galleries, something more than a few artists dread, was second nature to her. As she would say, “I finally found what I wanted to do and I just put blinders on.”
And why shouldn’t she? For her, art comes naturally and it has landed her in galleries across the country from New Orleans to Napa Valley and back east to the Hamptons.
While modeling has given her a back-story and a personality unlike the stereotypical artist, what remains most interesting about Renea are her paintings themselves. Her intensely layered flowers are molded to give a viewing experience that can’t be replicated by a simple flat photocopy. Also, despite the metaphor at the beginning, Renea has no model for her art. Each flower she draws is one that exists only in her mind and never a mere reproduction of one that exists. To Renea, almost all art is abstract.
She is currently taking her work to galleries across the country, confidently talking to curators and making friends with artists. She’s also does commissioned paintings and can be reached at her website www.reneamenzies.com or on her Facebook and Twitter: www.facebook.com/pages/Renea-Menzies/52026726777 and twitter.com/reneamenzies/respectively.
Renea is an artist who understands one of the most important lessons when it comes to your passions: never give up. “You can’t be afraid. Sometimes you have to get 20 no’s before you get that yes. If it’s something that you really love, it will be worth it.”
Renea Menzies: Overcoming Obstacles & Beating the Odds From International Model To Struggling Single Mom To Successful Contemporary Artist
Artist and model: the two distinct yet complimentary pieces that solve the puzzle of many great masterpieces. One sits at the canvas to toil with paint and brush while the other serves as muse and strikes a pose. How different yet necessary both are to some of the greatest works of art in the world. One requires a great deal of introspection and reflection while the other often has a strong physicality and social delicacy to them. That’s why it’s rare to find an artist who can do both jobs and Renea Menzies is one of those rare people.
Renea, Houston native and proud mother of two, has lived a life of accomplishment with success in two very rewarding careers. She now spends her days in the studio as an artist of growing renown, but her teens and twenties were spent on the bright lights of the runway as a model. It’s not a career evolution that you would not expect, but it is one that makes perfect sense for Renea.
She remembers the day that she was discovered quite clearly. She was eating with her family at a restaurant one day. A gorgeous 15-year-old girl that had blossomed from her childhood tomboyish self, she turned the head of a modeling agent and was approached with a job offer. Before she knew it, Renea was flying from Paris to Tokyo and all the fabulous places in between while still attending high school.
Her modeling was quite a success, Renea was able to work in nearly every field that a model can. She starred in commercials, strutted down the runway, and posed for photos. For her it was fun career. She loved the extravagance that was this great game of dress up. She loved it enough to stay with it for 12 years before retiring and moving to the other side of the camera to work for models as a photographer and make-up artist. While she excelled at it, the profession as a whole just didn’t hold the same spark for her anymore. She moved back to Houston, got married, raised her children, and started to settle down in general.
Renea Menzies has gone from sought-after international model to struggling single mom, to rising star of the contemporary art world.
Her signature 3-D flowers—created using a technique called sculpted oil—are featured in prestigious galleries, art shows and lifestyle publications. Her loyal and enthusiastic following is a testament to the originality and exquisiteness of her work. Hers is a story of persistence struggle, determination and rebirth. It is a story of overcoming obstacles, beating the odds and illustrates how following one’s dream and tuning out the naysayers can turn one’s passion into a successful career.
The Sculpted Oil Technique
What makes Renea's artwork unique is her sculpted oil painting process. By carefully building layers of oil paint, she creates remarkable depth, texture, and movement that extend beyond the canvas. This technique transforms each artwork into a multidimensional experience that engages viewers from every angle. Every detail is handcrafted, ensuring that each piece remains truly one of a kind.
Vision & Mission
Renea believes that art should do more than decorate a space it should create connection, spark emotion, and inspire imagination. Her mission is to share beauty through original artwork that celebrates creativity and the wonders of nature. Through every collection, she hopes to bring joy, inspiration, and meaningful experiences to those who encounter her work. Each painting is created with the intention of leaving a lasting impression.
Connect With Renea
Whether you're interested in original artwork, commissions, exhibitions, or simply learning more about the creative process, Renea would love to hear from you. Building connections through art is an important part of her journey, and she welcomes conversations with collectors, art enthusiasts, and fellow creatives. Reach out today and become part of the story behind the artwork.