Behind the label

October 06, 2017

What started as an artist commissioned piece is now a beautiful label for BFW. Read the story below about Renée.

Renée Guercia grew up in Oyster Bay, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island.  Always drawn to the water, she summered throughout her life – often with her family – in Southampton, New York.  Renée is a natural talent. While taking some art classes in school, she never formally trained – hence her instinctive, naturalistic grounding. In addition to painting and sketching, at the age of 12, she was already a published writer of poetry. Fluent in several different media and technique, Renée paints in oils, acrylic and Tahitian style watercolor, as well as creating numerous digital pieces. Each series of Renée's artwork comes, in its truest sense, from deep inspiration.  “Things affect me,” she confides, “And it is with my art that I express this – always with something that somehow touches my soul.” Drawing from the expansive strength and beauty of the ocean, Renée is a longtime surfing enthusiast who loves the water – and this is what inspired her Ocean Series.

The Butterfly Series is the result of a deeply personal – and completely unexpected – emotional connection for Renée.  Renée’s father, Joseph Guercia was, in the 1970's and 80's, considered one of the largest installers of athletic facilities in the world.  The lead contractor who installed the tennis courts at the US Open, he was also prominently involved in the rebuild of the Olympic Stadium in Greece, The World’s Fair in New York, and other international projects.   In early 2010, Mr. Guercia was about to begin an athletic installation in Haiti.  On January 10, he had just arrived at the Hotel Montana in Port au Prince along with a crew of architects and construction executives; the same date as one of the world’s most catastrophic earthquakes. Renée spoke to her father minutes before the earthquake hit. Tragically, Mr. Guercia was among the 122 Americans, and scores of others, killed that day.   “My sister, brother and I were beyond devastated,” Renée recalls. “Our world was absolutely upended, and my sister and I spent countless hours talking about our Dad.  As spring and summer approached we would sit in our yard by the pool and have long, deep talks about our father.  Each and every time we had these heart rending conversations, we would always see butterflies!  They would fly and flutter across our pool and all over the perimeter of our yard.   From then on whenever we saw butterflies, we called them ‘Dad.’ I consider The Butterfly series my most endearing pieces of work – as each and every one of them comes from the deepest place in my heart.” Interestingly – and this is something Renée didn’t know at the time – in many cultures the butterfly is associated with the soul. In Greek mythology, Psyche is represented in the form of a butterfly. Fittingly, Psyche is forever linked with love as she and Eros (the Greek god of love, also known in Roman myth as Cupid) shared an endlessly passionate bond together – both hopelessly in love with one another. The purpose of my work is to create an inspiration of nature and serenity. Each original piece is its own unique expression through color and technique. The common denominator amongst those who admire my work is ethereal nature of each piece. Renée resides in Southeast Florida and Southampton, New York

Renée's Art Collection

 

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