What makes a flower petal, pearl, or shell special? On the paintings of René Levin, who vividly renders their details, the formation of these objects becomes a kind of miracle. Her go-to motif – highly detailed objects set against simple backgrounds – is a way to explore and share that miracle. Although it may sound corny, Levine tells Observer, she has felt a deep connection to nature since childhood. “There are big stories behind these natural objects that have been overlooked for so long. I want to celebrate them by putting them on a pedestal to show my audience all these little details that have amazing symmetry or patterns that Mother Nature created.”
Levine’s subjects, rendered in two-dimensional paint, have an almost palpable presence. To achieve this effect, Levine gravitates towards a minimal color palette to emphasize texture. Creamy colours, accentuated by strong lighting and bright sparkles on glossy surfaces, amplify the volume of shadows. “I always say that my paintings give the audience ‘permission to feel,’ and you can take it literally,” she explains, adding that she never paints her subjects in the settings in which they would normally be found. Instead, she transfers them through the fabric, giving them another life. “By doing that, it creates focus. If you paint a flower in a grassy landscape, I don’t think people will pay much attention to it and look at it closely.” Sometimes she paints just a petal, and not even the complete flower, in its imperfect state, “so it enables or forces the viewers to really focus.”
Figuratively speaking, this permission to feel is her way of restoring interest and slowness to our lives. “These days, our lives have become so fast that they’ve almost become robotic, especially with technology, which is a little scary,” Levin says. Drawing enlarged objects is like meditation for her – a way to realize how vast these small things are in nature and how much detail goes unnoticed when our attention is limited by efficiency. Expanded detail allows her to show her audience the beauty and nuance in things they might otherwise ignore.
Often, the Levine drawing process begins with a simple assembly process. She has containers containing natural objects, which she photographs in a darkroom where she can control the light source. “Photography is actually a very time-consuming process,” she says. “I play with composition, seeing where the light hits the object and creates shadows. Through the camera, negative space and composition reframe things into something that makes me happy.” When it’s time to start drawing, she usually sketches the body, then draws from reference photographs while also looking at the body directly. Photography is especially important when you’re working with ephemeral objects like flower petals that dissolve as you draw, although she says drawing is often the easiest part. “For me, it takes weeks, but it really depends on the complexity, composition and size of the body.”
As much as she uses the camera, Levine has never considered photography one of her mediums. “When you’re an artist who paints realistically, you’re almost in constant competition with yourself,” she points out. “You’re constantly trying to get to that point where you’re challenging how well you can do it. With a photo, it’s almost too easy.” It is worth noting that Levine is not a trained painter. She went to art school for design and worked as a designer for years before turning to drawing professionally in 2019. However, “she always had an itch to draw. I always needed to use my hands to unleash my creativity.” This background in design is evident in her work. “The contrast, boldness and dramatic aspect of my work stems from design. Learning to use negative space while designing has helped me create compositions through my drawings.”
Artists often have ready-made theories or narratives, but Levine resists this. Instead, her work requires presence and slowness, and she wants viewers to develop their own ideas about the things she paints: “In my new collection, these flowers become almost symbolic: the bends of the stems almost bring you into these shapes. I call them memory vessels, because they are almost like phases of my life, which I want others to see as well.” Levin believes that there is no way to look at these flowers without experiencing them as forms that generate emotion, as they are full of emotion as objects and forms in their own right, while also embodying a simple feeling. “The biggest misconception of my work is that I only paint beautiful things. It is much more than that. Realizing our relationship with nature and the things around us is itself a philosophical journey.”
Levine’s works can be found in the hands of private collectors and in the halls of institutions. In June, six pieces featuring pearls and shells in monochromatic tones will be part of an exhibition at Heddle Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina. She also undertakes commissions that require getting to know the buyers and how to use the spaces in which the paintings will be displayed. “There are a lot of intimate conversations because ultimately they are going to live with the art, so it has to feel right to them.” She recently completed a residency project at the White Elephant Hotel, a family-owned hotel in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where she painted after encountering the owner’s wife’s collection of objects. She freely admits that finding homes for her paintings can be an emotional affair. “I love the connection part of commissioned artworks because often times you don’t even know where the art ends, and that’s sad. It’s a part of me. It’s like abandoning a child.”
I started Instagram just before the coronavirus hit, when people started slowing down and looking for creativity as an outlet against uncertainty. “We’re in a goal-oriented society that won’t stop, and people are drawn to that kind of Zen aesthetic in my work,” she says. In fact, her Instagram account is a cornerstone of a minimalist aesthetic that feels authentic while offering visitors a sense of calm in the midst of a busy life. For Levine, this authenticity — in person, on social media, and in the studio — is the requisite for everything. “If I paint something I don’t like, it will be very evident in the work. I need to finish the painting and I’m happy that it’s ready to leave my studio.” She adds that art touches almost every aspect of life. “I’m more intentional in the way I live to include my creativity in all aspects of my life. It’s intertwined. An artist’s work is never done: you’re constantly questioning, looking for answers, working on things in the studio. It’s not easy, but it creates the greatest satisfaction. You live a fuller life, even though it’s harder. In the end, art is about one’s self-motivation and the drive to do it.”
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