In Dance of Daylight, deep green-indigo leaves and branches reach into a multi-golden sky while grasses curve their waving, elongated bodies in the wind. Energy leaps off the canvas in all the paintings by Berks County artist Ren Hernandez, evoking emotions that no sounds, no words can explain. Lively and loving, revealing exquisitely subtle shades and defiantly gentle vibrant colors, Hernandez’s artwork depicts the changing seasons of life through the lens of the natural beauty characterizing this region.
A winter 2021 exhibit of several artists, held at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in the expansive first-floor gallery, allowed art lovers to view Hernandez’s works at arm’s length, move up close to take in the alluring, tender details, then step back several yards to inhale the imagery in its unique entirety. Experiencing his work is a multilayered journey: deliciously complex in detail, yet oh-so-honest and straightforward in total effect and larger memory.
In his day-to-day life as a nurse at Reading Hospital/Tower Health, Ren Hernandez encounters hundreds of people all year long. Little do they know the hands that help them in their hours of need are the hands of an astonishingly productive, thoughtful, driven artist! The continuing pandemic has been hard on everyone, but dedicated healthcare workers are hardest hit, with barely the breathing space in which to recover. Hernandez admits, “It’s really stressful. Everyone in nursing is being pulled in different directions. On my days off, I am at home or in my studio, painting.”
Natural Attraction
Originally from the Philippines, Hernandez explains, “My family moved here in 2004 when my mom was hired by Reading Hospital. We’ve been in West Reading since then. Berks County is my home now.” His paintings are powerful emblems of the environment. “I’ve grown to appreciate Berks County a lot. It’s a source of inspiration for me — lots of parks, Blue Marsh Lake, a lot of nature around here. And there’s an appreciation for art and artists here. There are lots of resources here for artists, lots of inspiration and galleries.”
With an eye to beauty, and a profound sensitivity to landscape and nature’s changing moods, Hernandez unveils his artistic process: “I do use referential photos — from hiking and at different times of the day around Berks County. I don’t paint literally. I try to let the colors and the brushstrokes dictate what the painting is going to end up like.” Furthermore, he adds, “I am self-taught for the most part. I switched to oils two years ago. And now I am exploring mixed media — charcoal, watercolor and ink. I’d like to not just to be known as a landscape painter.”
“I Surprise Myself”
Public recognition has been swift. Hernandez says, laughing, “When I first started, people would see a painting and ask about buying it. 2019 was when I started getting serious. I applied to the GoggleWorks and got accepted for my studio. Before that, I just painted for fun.”
Essentially, he concludes, “I paint kind of spontaneously — a mix between intentional and spontaneous. I try to balance the two. When finished, I sometimes ask, ‘What is that?’ I sometimes surprise myself with my own work.”
Learn More.
Art Appreciation. “I do love going to museums. I love the Barnes in Philly — that era of impressionism and post-impressionism! I try to visit a museum as often as I can.”
On finding support: “I’m grateful for all the support of Berks County artists and to The GoggleWorks for being so welcoming and friendly. I didn’t have that support before.”
See: Studio 215 in Reading: goggleworks.org/people/ren-hernandez/
