Renee's Path to the Artist she is Today

Renee grew up in Nashville’s Inglewood neighborhood, where childhood meant long days outdoors—riding bikes, jumping on trampolines, and catching lightning bugs into the evening. In her senior year, she joined a co-op program, balancing school mornings with full-time work at a hearing aid business. There, she advanced from office staff to earning a hearing aid audiology certificate and working in sales, continuing in that role for several years.

Later, Renee transitioned into bookkeeping at a CPA firm. It was during this time that she met her future husband, David Bates. Both shared an interest in music and were introduced through a mutual friend. They married in 1985 and raised two children. David, also a Nashville native, is part of the family behind Bates Nursery and Garden Center, a longstanding name in Middle Tennessee gardening.

As their children grew, Renee developed an interest in design, initially taking a drapery class to create her own window treatments. This sparked a deeper pursuit, leading her to enroll in the Interior Design program at Watkins College of Art and Design. She launched her own interiors business, which she ran for a decade.

Eventually, she chose to close the business to contribute her creative perspective to the family nursery, focusing on purchasing and visual display. She also dedicated seven years to Greenways for Nashville, supporting the city’s trail systems as executive of the nonprofit.

Although painting had long interested her, it remained secondary until a workshop experience changed her direction. Attending a class in June, Renee quickly recognized her passion and, by September, committed fully to painting. Since 2015, she has worked across multiple disciplines, including landscape, still life, abstract, and animal portraiture, while continuing to study, and her current interest is in human portraiture.

Renee is an active member of the Chestnut Group, a nonprofit organization of artists who paint outdoors together, aligning naturally with her appreciation for nature and conservation. She describes herself as a lifelong learner, fascinated by color and the composition of mediums and hues. The study of nature has made her aware of the many ways in which all of life is connected.

Today, Renee balances her artistic practice with time spent outdoors—gardening, hiking, and birding. She and David spend several months each year in Mexico, where she continues to paint and explore. She also enjoys karaoke, though, by her own rule, only while in Mexico.

Loved photographing and learning more about Renee during our time together. She is a lovely, calm soul filling the world with beautiful paintings.

While this 40 Over 40 project is coming to a close, if you need new headshot and branding images for your website, socials, speaking engagements, writer bios and more, I would love to collaborate on fresh on brand images for YOU too!

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Renee's Path to the Artist she is Today

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