Born in Israel, **[Rinat Goren](https://www.cohart.com/rinatgoren/profile)** grew up surrounded by makers—family and friends who built, repaired, designed, and cultivated with their hands. Art was always part of her life, but it wasn’t until she immigrated to the United States as a young adult and raised a family that she fully embraced her calling as an artist.

Deeply inspired by thinkers, inventors, problem solvers, and those who use reason to navigate the world, Rinat explores the human thought process through her work. She specializes in encaustic painting, using layers of beeswax and pigment to create translucent, abstract compositions that mirror the complexity and beauty of thinking itself.


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##### Can you describe your artistic process? What materials and techniques do you typically use?

My primary medium is encaustic. Encaustic is a mixture of beeswax and pigment. It has to be melted to work with, and it is applied in multiple layers onto a rigid board—in my case, wood panels. The wax, being translucent, allows me to layer my work and create depth. It also has a bit of a glow to it, since light travels through the medium.

##### What themes or concepts are you most passionate about exploring in your work?

I am very passionate about the idea of us (humans) as thinking beings. I am fascinated by our ability to think, to understand abstract ideas, and to use reason to make decisions and to solve problems. I am trying to convey this process of thinking in my paintings. 



##### How do your personal experiences influence your art?

In two ways: growing up, I was surrounded by people who did things with their hands: building, repairing, mending, sawing, and decorating. In my family, they all did it with a beautiful sense of aesthetics/; even mending socks was done in a beautiful, neat way.
Later on, I grew up admiring people- scientists, engineers, teachers, or anyone who is a thinker. I ended up being inspired by this process of using our minds and reasoning.


##### Who are some of your biggest artistic influences, and how have they shaped your practice?

I think that my biggest artistic influence was my art teacher in school. Back then, it was called craft lessons (not art). I didn’t know it at the time, but my teacher was a very established artist and some of her comments are still echoing in my mind when I paint today. Other than that, there are many artists whose art I admire, and in some ways, they influenced my art. 


##### How do you define success as an artist? What does it look like for you?

Success for me is improving my skills to more accurately describe or convey my intentions. If my colors are resonating well with me, the layers are laid deep, and the eye goes through my painting in the correct order, then I am successful. I also feel a sense of satisfaction when my paintings are purchased. Somehow, it completes my artistic process: The piece is created, and then someone falls in love with it.

##### Can you share a specific project or piece that holds special significance for you? Why is it important?

A gallery owner encouraged me to make a large piece for one of her clients. It was challenging! Since I work with my panels flat on a table, it's hard to reach all corners and the center of the panel if it is large, and it is physically work to keep rotating the panel. After completing that painting, I got used to larger panels, and I enjoy the results. 

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##### How do you engage with your audience, and what do you hope they take away from your work?

Many of my interactions happen when people respond to my titles. My titles are a hint at what I had in mind when I painted the piece. I love listening to what they see in my paintings. Abstracts are experienced in multiple ways, and they are all valid. 


##### Have you faced any challenges in your artistic career, and how have you overcome them?

I had one period of ‘artist block’ a couple of years ago. It took a lot of introspection to understand that I was responding to many comments about the joy in my art. People often told me that my paintings reflect joy. I, on the other hand, was very much not joyful at the time. (It was during a time of war in my country.) I discovered that I felt ‘fake’ or ‘pretending’ if what comes out is joy. I overcame this block by accepting that my art is joyful, even if it doesn’t match my mood. I understood that this is what comes out of my process naturally, and I don’t have to justify it.

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Rinat Goren creates abstract, layered encaustic works to explore thought, reason, and the complexity of the human mind.


Spotlight: Rinat Goren on Capturing Thoughts Through Abstraction

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