Renata Rolefes

October 1 – 31, 2026

Renata Rolefes’ journey as an artist began in the Netherlands, where she trained in drawing and crafts and spent many years painting realistic portraits. In 2012, she opened her first gallery, but it was Renata’s move to Curaçao in 2018 that truly transformed her work. Surrounded by turquoise water, tropical light, colorful architecture, and wonderfully expressive wildlife, her paintings became brighter, bolder, and freer. Today, Renata creates her original paintings entirely by hand in her own gallery in the heart of Willemstad.

“I paint the Caribbean not as a place, but as a feeling. The intense colors, tropical light, wildlife, and people of Curaçao are an endless source of inspiration, but I’m not interested in simply reproducing what I see. I exaggerate color, expression and movement to capture the energy and personality I experience around me. My paintings are created entirely by hand using acrylic paint, palette knives, and techniques I have developed over the years.”