About Me

I am René Medrano (b.1990), a self-taught figurative painter from California, USA based in Brussels, Belgium. I work primarily with soft pastels, creating paintings that explore the human experience through memory, emotion, vulnerability, connection, and solitude.

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My work is deeply influenced by my own experiences and the memories instilled in me —things that have shaped who I am and continue to influence how I see myself and the world around me. I am interested in the way these experiences remain a part of our identity, sometimes consciously and other times quietly beneath the surface. Although I do not typically depict myself as the subject, I project aspects of my own experiences onto the figures I paint, allowing them to become vessels for emotions and memories that have had a lasting impression, hoping to create a sense of connection for the viewer.

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I am drawn to soft pastel because of its tactile and intimate nature. Its softness and delicacy remind me of memory itself: fleeting, imperfect, and malleable. Working directly with my hands, I manipulate and shape the pigment to create subtle transitions and details, building a physical connection between myself, the subject, and the emotion behind each work. This process makes every painting deeply personal; every mark carries something of my own touch and influence.

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Although my paintings often begin with a personal story, I hope they resonate and become a shared story. Through the figures and emotions I portray, I invite viewers to reflect on their own memories, experiences, and the moments that have shaped who they are and perhaps find part of themselves within my work.