Oil Painting
Renee Broders
Melbourne-based, multi-disciplinary artist Renee Broders is driven by a strong sense of play and experimentation.
Artist Profile
Melbourne-based, multi-disciplinary artist Renee Broders is driven by a strong sense of play and experimentation. Graduating from Deakin University in 1998 with a major in painting and printmaking, Renee’s work has evolved to juxtapose mass media with human individuality. Her use of vintage paper collage reveals a pattern of small-scale portraiture which is gradually manipulated to create a multi-layered and deeply personal body of paintings. National representation and exhibitions with Studio Gallery Group and Brunswick Street Gallery have provided Renee with a platform to engage viewers and challenge their perception of anonymity in abstract portraiture.
Melbourne-based, multi-disciplinary artist Renee Broders graduated from Deakin University in 1998, with a major in painting and printmaking. Driven by a strong sense of play and experimentation, her work explores the ever-changing stories of her subjects and attempts to illustrate the complex relationships we have with our past and present selves. Whilst Renee primarily paints, she has found utilising collage, in both a digital and physical format, to be transformative when preparing for the painted image. Since her debut in the 1994 Victorian Top Arts program, Renee has exhibited nationally with Studio Gallery Group and Brunswick Street Gallery. She has also been a finalist in the Portia Geach Memorial Award, Sunshine Coast Art Prize, and Bowness Photography Prize, as well as a semi-finalist in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize.
Artist Interview
What medium do you work with, and why have you chosen them?
My painting often combines acrylic and oils. Doing so achieves a balanced surface, with glossy focal features and a larger, matte body. Each painting is an amalgamation of collage and digital manipulation, with vintage paper sections forming the early bedrock of my finished works.
How does your artwork get from initial concept to exhibition stage?
I begin with creating a digital image. This image is usually a composite of individual collages, made from hundreds of vintage magazines. Through collage, I've noticed a pattern emerging; one of small-scale portraiture which captures the forgotten faces of a global population. As I create and manipulate my digital image from these collages, I then transfer that to linen or canvas (typically on a larger scale), and begin painting it in that blend of oil and acrylic.
Can you tell us a little more about your creative working environment/studio?
Throughout my life, I've learned to find order in chaos. My focus is sharpest when the environment is blurred, and my home studio reflects this. Tucked between trees and built to be acoustically sound, it's an environment that's physically close to home but offers a place to escape to. From within, I am the sole director of my creative process, with music (in particular) acting as a huge key to productivity. Visually hectic, it's a space that not only holds my art materials but also mementos, both inherited and collected. Nothing is fixed per se but everything has its place. In my studio, I can control the flow of light, the temperature and my hours spent working out there. It's designed to be adjustable and to optimise my creative path at any given time.
Career Highlights
- Campaign Artist for Sydney's Affordable Art Fair (Randwick, 2024)
- Finalist in the prestigious Portia Geach Memorial Award (2022)
- Selection as a projection artist for Hume City Council's annual Winter Lights Festival (2025)
