About Renee Brettler

Renee Waldman Brettler was born in 1956 in Sudbury, Ontario, where she lived for two years before moving to Toronto. 

 

Her passion for art began with her discovery of colouring books and crayons.  Not content however,  to merely colour the pictures, she would redraw them on a separate piece of paper.  Discovering this ability to capture the likeness of an image was the beginning of a lifelong fascination with art. 

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In 1981 while pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Toronto,  Renee enjoyed her first successful solo art exhibit at the Del Bello Gallery.  Her future in art seemed promising.   However, a failing marriage compelled her to choose between ‘the path of her heart’ and ‘the path of her head’.  Ultimately,  she opted for economic stability rather than the uncertainty of life as a struggling artist.  To that end, she completed a Bachelor of Education and an Ontario Teaching Certificate.

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Renee remarried, had 3 children and a successful teaching career that spanned 30 years.  As a Visual Arts Specialist,  she would always make sure to find creative ways to integrate the Arts into her classroom and school environment.

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Since retiring from teaching in 2014, Renee has finally turned her attention to her first love ~  Art!

 

Renee is self-taught and has worked with acrylic, oil paint, graphite, charcoal, coloured pencils and pastels.