Photo by Will Staples

Renee Cohen Diggs | Designer & Illustrator

When the ink hits the canvas, this Jamaican-born artist feels a little bit closer to home. “Every time I draw, I go back to my childhood and the joy and feeling of peace,” Renee says. “I try to recapture that charm and peacefulness of the islands in my work.” A graphic designer by day in the technology world, the St. Pete wife and mother of two launched her own online design studio (diggsdesignstudio.com) in late 2007 to explore her personal art on a broader scale. She works primarily in acrylics, pen and ink, and says her own multicultural background has inspired her to produce a diverse women’s portrait collection. Renee says these faces capture the essence of women’s universal strength across race, age and ethnicity. “I wanted this to be work that can appeal to everyone, not any one race or culture, and bring people together,” she says.