About The Artist

Born in Santa Cruz, CA in 1971, Shanii Renay comes from a long line of artistic women; although it wasn’t until later in life that she tried her own hand at art. Being partially color-blind, she thought that would inhibit her ability to paint. It was technology that helped her overcome her insecurities as an artist. It was the need for a website that first had Renay sitting in front of a computer in 2002. A few years later and she had become an accomplished website and software developer. Having designed graphics for over 500 websites for companies all over the US, it was in 2013 that she was presented with an opportunity to become a full-time artist. Utilizing her skills as a graphic designer, incorporating her experience in the modeling industry, and adding her hobby as an amateur photographer, she began creating surreal landscapes and magical scenes by blending photographs, digital images and acrylic paint on canvas. Houston’s annual Art Crawl in 2013 was her first group exhibit. In less than a year her career as an artist quickly progressed and she was soon invited to well-known art shows and group exhibits in the Houston area as well as Austin and San Antonio. In 2014 Renay was featured in the Houston Chronicle and on Great Day Houston documenting her work as a local artist. Since then she has shown internationally, including cities such as Madrid, Rome, Paris and Tuscany. “A single piece will contain more than one world, surreal juxtapositions and dreamlike scenes that tease the imagination.” – Houston Chronicle