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“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. Every time I do a painting I feel like the old codger is looking over my shoulder. He was such a driver and so demanding that if I wasn’t really truly producing the best work I could, I’d want to hide under the drawing board as soon as he came to look at what I was doing!’ ”
“[Chet and Penny Reneson] met in 1958, while attending art classes at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. They were married two years later even though he still had one semester to complete in his fourth and final year.
`We decided to go for it because we had seven dollars between us;’ Chet laughs. `But those beginning years were tough. Penny dropped out of art school to pursue something more practical… she saw how I was struggling so it didn’t make much sense to her to be an artist. Instead, she became a nurse and believe me, her paychecks kept us afloat for a long time. She started getting more involved in my career about 1975, and it just escalated from there. Now she runs everything!’ ”
(Sporting Classic – Sept./Oct. 1994)