Rene Griffith is an artist based in San Francisco, California. He’s been an artist all of his life; painting and drawing as a youngster, and even taking photos with his little camera. When he came of age, he studied life drawing, watercolor and acrylic painting, graphic design and digital art. Yet, it wasn't until he moved to San Francisco that he gave himself permission to pursue his dreams seriously. In 1997, he had the opportunity to live in San Francisco for half a year; he stayed nearly a decade. He set his sights on having a working studio, creating artwork, and getting into a gallery. He continued to work with his graphic design and marketing business for five years, and to get away from the computer, he did color consulting and painted faux finishes.
In his studio located at Hunters Point Shipyard, he began experimenting with alternative Polaroid techniques and other photographic processes. When he discovered the use of Polaroid films as a medium for his work, a deeper artist within him emerged. He’s immediately attracted to the process because this only one of its kind medium allowed him to explore a wide range of creative possibilities. He had found a way to express himself using photography that had the painterly quality he was looking for. And for many years, he explored emulsion transfers, Polaroid image transfers, and SX70 manipulations. Mostly self-taught, he’s a photographer with the soul of a painter, and he often photographs old bicycles, cars, and vintage memorabilia.
