Meadowlark Gallery: The Artist Biographies

Chet Reneson
"Hunter fly-fisherman and artist since boyhood, he lives what he paints, and paints what he lives."*1 "Here, I'm in the wrong spot, watching some ducks drop into a pocket that's still ice-free It's a long way to drag a boat, but it'll be worth the effort because it's the only open water around. Of course, this was during my younger years' when I had much more backbone and muscle than brains."*2 Chet Reneson was raised near Colchester, Connecticut and began painting scenes of waterfowl and wildlife at the age of nine. He later attended the University of Hartford Art School. "The foundation for Reneson's unmistakable style was laid early. `Henrik Mayer, my teacher in art school, preached three values: light, dark and strong,' Chet recalls. `He also preached simplification to the point of brutality. If he were living today he'd still be telling me that my work isn't simple enough."*3 Chet and Penny Reneson met in 1958 at the University of Hartford Art School.*4 After art school, he worked commercially for many years and then sold his first painting in 1966. Chet Reneson was named Artist of the Year by Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, and the Atlantic Salmon Federation.

Sources:
Antiques and the Arts Weekly – May, 1999
Sporting Classics – December, 1998
Sporting Classic – Sept./Oct. 1994
Atlantic Salmon Journal – Summer, 1993
Rebecca Grey, February, 2000

*1 Atlantic Salmon Journal – Summer, 1993
*2 Sporting Classics – December, 1998
*3 Sporting Classic – Sept./Oct. 1994
*4 Ibid.

View high resolution images of works by Chet Reneson when available.