When she was very young, René Crigler’s family moved from Louisville, KY, to Columbus, IN. Located an hour south of Indianapolis (considered by many the motorsports capital of the world), Columbus is recognized for its contemporary architecture. In this environment her passions for both art and racing developed and at age 11, she finished 8th in the Indianapolis soapbox derby and won the trophy for best paint job!

Crigler later studied Fine Art at Indiana University, Bloomington, with a concentration in printmaking. After three years, she shifted gears to study computer science; still creative, but in an analytical way. She worked in arts-related organizations including The Art Institute of Chicago. During that period, she attended painting and printmaking classes at the AIC and began creating works again.

In the late 80s/early 90s, Indycar racing was at the height of its popularity and Crigler became an avid and knowledgeable race enthusiast, meeting a lot of folks in the industry, and following the sport with friends and family to venues around the country when possible.

In 1999, Crigler worked on her first racing project as a software consultant to Reynard, a British chassis manufacture, who was at that time developing lap simulation software. A couple of years later, she was offered a full-time position with a race team. She worked for Players Forsythe Racing as a performance data analyst and special projects manager, developing software to help predict pit stop strategies. She traveled the world with the team for it’s last two years in the sport, culminating in a series championship with driver Paul Tracy.

Thrilled to have been a part of a winning team, but emotionally and physically exhausted when it was over, Crigler decided it was time to concentrate on her art full time. The inspiration for the car portraits started in 2005, with the first painting made for her favorite uncle. Suffering from Alzheimer’s and non-communicative for weeks, he saw a ’49 Ford coming at them on the road, and it stimulated a 3-hour conversation and lots of memories. It was a powerful experience for Crigler.  For more info on the car portraits...

An opportunity to participate in the Hickory (NC) Museum of Art exhibition, NASCAR Inspired in 2006 really got the wheels turning. With the help of her motorsports colleagues, Crigler created a concept piece integrating some of the same materials and processes used in producing racecars. For more info on the NASCAR piece...

Crigler discovered Asheville, NC on her way to Hickory and moved in September that same year. Finally ready to paint with emotional responses aplenty, Crigler is continuing to explore the carbon fiber painting process, but she is now focusing on the Pop Art Orchids Series and becoming more and more involved in the local art community.