Courtney Raney

Born in Iowa and raised in Southern California, Courtney Raney’s urban and rural background has influenced her ideals and artistic style. Inspired by music, films, politics, current events, and her contemporary Los Angeles surroundings, Courtney’s paintings evoke strong influence from the early 20th century Modern Art movement. Her work has lately been described as both organic and metropolitan, and she hopes to bring originality to the existing art of her city. Her recent endeavor is a series of “Hollywood Icons” brought to life with a spin on traditional Pop Art. It began with a series of black and white portraits on wood that included images of silent film star Charlie Chaplin and present day actors like Harrison Ford and Christopher Walken. This “Icons of Cool” collection has been featured on the HBO television series Hung. The latest “Hollywood Icons” collection in the series consists of colorful famous film characters from classic 1960’s and 70’s films, such as Liz Taylor as Cleopatra and Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver. Since the Pop Art portrait collections, Courtney has expanded her series even further. Achieving a contemporary version of the historical portrait by exploring the use of text and energetic strokes of color, her newest collection consists of significant and \"famous\" historical icons such as Abe Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Shakespeare, The Kennedys, and many others. This April at the RAW:Hollywood show, Courtney will exhibit her \"Famous Paintings\" collection in her Pop Art style.