Chat With Cleo: Artist Renault Cluny

I was slumped on a couch in a blues bar, drinking a cartoon beer and profile-stalking when the profile of this wry, smart, obviously gifted painter caught my attention. I have since had the good fortune of getting to know Renault Cluny. Renault’s paintings aren’t just pretty—that would be far too easy—they are challenging, tactile, bold, and passionate—infused with a beautiful ferocity that invites and intrigues the viewer.

Renault Cluny is a serious artist, and one of the reasons for me personally that SL remains a fascinating creative landscape. I thank Renault for taking the time to answer my questions, and I encourage gallery-owners everywhere to book this creative genius.

Your work stands out in RL as well as SL. You list your influences in your profile…can you expand upon those? What is your background?

I grew up in the American southeast and earned my BFA degree in studio art with an emphasis in sculpture from a major university there.  I was awarded a full scholarship and teaching fellowship at a major university in the Midwestern USA where I completed my terminal degree, the MFA, again with an emphasis in sculpture.  Both as an undergraduate and graduate, I minored in the history of art and actually considered taking a second terminal degree, a PhD in Art History.

After completion of the MFA, I maintained a studio in the city and took a position as assistant professor of art at a neighboring institution, as well as, guest artist stints at other universities and colleges.  Several years later, I received an Artists in Schools Grant where I produced work which allowed children from a wide range of schools and backgrounds to experience and participate in the creative process with a professional artist.

What is your inspiration? What makes you wake up in the morning and want to paint?

It’s difficult to explain, but I feel there is an innate desire for some of us to see things that we’re otherwise not experiencing; and then, to turn around and communicate it to others.  I personally believe that if the human race were to experience some great, cataclysmic disaster and only a handful of people were left to rebuild, one of the first things to happen would be creation of art in some form.  Musicians would rise from the group to create a song as inspiration to pull others along; writers would emerge to tell the story; and, visual artists would create visible documentation.  I think, for some of us anyway, creating is as fundamental as eating.

Do you paint when you’re inspired or when you have time? How do you balance work and painting?

I have children in middle and high school, and I try to be as participatory in their lives as they will allow.   As a professor and before I had children, I always referred to them in my classes as the “ultimate sculpture.”   I have found that to be the truest thing I have ever uttered.   So, with that in mind, I am always working on my art. With regard to painting however, I try to work it in as often as I can.  The type of painting I do is quite physical, and after a day of earning a living, it’s often difficult to muster the energy, so I work in fits and spurts.

You have a rich sense of color and drama in your work…how did you develop your style?

While in grad school, we (fellow MFA candidates) would sit around the bar and drink a lot (as MFA candidates are want to do) and every now and then these sessions, of course, became psychoanalysis. We often explored the source of our work, earliest childhood images and visual memories, etc.  Mine centered on maps and game boards, and you’ll find Rand McNally and Parker Brothers named as art influences in my picks as some of my first memories as a child involved playing with a Monopoly board.  I loved the colors, shapes and the balance of formal elements visually.  Now, to this day, I can examine road maps until I fall over and be endlessly intrigued.  Not only do the places fascinate me, it’s the crossing of lines, borders and, of course, the colors.  Aging and weathering have always been a strong influence on my work too. The weathered facade of a building can sometimes take on the lines of a map or, for that matter, the lines in a face.  It’s all related I think.

Has SL influenced your work?  If so, in what way?

Not in the imagery itself, but it is forcing me to work smaller.  Well, not forcing me, but encouraging me to do so. With this reduction in size comes a little more precision, which for me is a challenge.  As I mentioned before, painting for me is a very physical act and having to harness that is……well, interesting.

Has SL played a part in your career development?

Well, I am working on incorporating it more and possibly using Ren Cluny as a “nom de plume” in RL, development of a web site, etc. While I am selling copies in SL, the real paintings are available for sale and I see SL definitely expanding my market. I’m exploring the possibility of offering numbered, limited edition prints of the paintings and linking it somehow to more exclusive ownership in SL.

Have you plugged into a community of artists in SL?

I’m just beginning to.

What are you currently working on?  Is there work that you can do more readily in SL that you can’t in RL?

My paintings continue to evolve.  That is the natural process with a body of work.  I am beginning to become more interested in color than in the texture.  You may begin to see less “road map” and more “Monopoly board” in the near future.  ”May” being the key word here…

Do you have current and upcoming shows you’d like to promote? And what’s the best way for SL gallery owners to get in touch with you?

First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to thank a few people for their help and encouragement along the way: Deidre Loring, Cai Denimore, Lana Simondson, Katerina Burner, Karli Daviau, my beautiful woman Nita Charron, and you Cleo. Without the encouragement and help from all I might not have brought my paintings into SL and experienced the joy of sharing and learning in this realm.

The best way to contact me is via email:   renault.cluny @ gmail.com

I currently have a one person exhibit at the DaVinci One Gallery

SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/SouthernTier%20New%20York/59/146/26

In May, I will be exhibiting at PiRats Art Network’s La Manufacture

SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/PiRats%20Art%20Network/220/46/23