Bio:
Renée Gertler was born in Santa Barbara, California. Her drawings and sculptures delve into metaphysical, psychological, and emotional landscapes. She holds both a BFA and MFA in Sculpture from the California College of the Arts and briefly studied landscape architecture at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.
Gertler’s sculptures and installations have been exhibited at venues such as Southern Exposure, Eleanor Harwood Gallery, Et. al, Anglim Trimble, The Marin Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery. Her work has earned her several prestigious awards, including a Danish Arts Council Grant, as well as artist residencies at the John Michael Kohler Arts/Industry Program, Spaces in Cleveland, the Vermont Studio Center, the Pilchuck School of Glass Emerging Artists Fellowship, the MacDowell Colony, and the Kala Art Institute.
Artist Statement:
After my mother passed away, I inherited her collection of bells. From that moment, a body of work began to take shape, driven by a single question: Could she still hear the bells, even though she was no longer in this realm? This curiosity led me to explore the nature of sound waves and, eventually, to the pioneering work of Hans Jenny and his studies in Cymatics.
I was first introduced to Cymatics during my time as an intern at The Exploratorium in the late 90’s. Cymatics translates the energy of sound waves into visual form. Hans Jenny documented this phenomenon by capturing how materials like flour or water respond to music, creating stunning visual patterns. But Cymatics is more than just visual documentation; it opens a pathway into what Jenny called “the felt sense.” This body of work explores that concept: What is a felt sense? And what might it look like? The drawings and paintings in this series are created through a layered process using airbrush, colored pencil, and ink to achieve a scrim-like effect. The sculptures similarly build upon layers of wire, paper pulp, plaster, paint, and beads. Through these layers, I explore concepts from parapsychology, such as the transmission and reception of energy and sound.
A powerful influence on my work is the artist Viola Frey, who worked in this very studio space. Her teachings and practice continue to shape my own approach. Ultimately, this work is about tuning into the present moment and becoming a receiver, open to whatever energy or transmission comes through.
