Rene Gomez was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to Providence as a young child. He is immensely proud of his heritage. It was no accident that he walked into our meeting wearing a shirt that read, “Dios, Patria, Libertad,” which translates to, “God, Homeland, Liberty.” This is the official national motto of the Dominican Republic and appears on its national coat of arms and its flag.
It is no surprise that Rene has taken part in the Dominican Day parade and shared a picture of himself dressed up as a principal founding father of the Dominican Republic, Ramón Matías Mella. He also reminded me that our parade in RI is the fourth largest in the country.
Rene Gomez is a hard-working artist and muralist who has given back to South Providence and the Greater RI community in many, many ways. He started drawing and painting at 7. The artist’s friends remind him he had drawn Batman and other superheroes at an early age. He remembers how he learned English by watching “Sesame Street.” He continued to draw and paint and attended classes at the Rhode Island School of Design as a child, until age 19, after winning a scholarship in the 3rd grade. He expressed his gratitude to his mother, who drove him there religiously each day and allowed him to learn more about his art.
Since those days at RISD, Rene has played a huge role in many projects that benefit and give back to his community. He has also developed his own style over time; a type of pointillism. He applies small strokes of color to a surface that, from a distance, visually blend, creating a bigger picture, figuratively and technically. This is what Rene prefers. His murals mimic his life. His works of kindness and giving back come together to create a real sense of community. He regularly volunteers professional advice, helping other artists create portfolios, and adds artists to his large projects so they can gain experience. Lately, his work has also been featured at various Gallery Nights.
Many of us first heard about Rene when he was the Artist-in-Residence at RILA (Rhode Island Latino Arts). It should be noted that he was the first Hispanic artist to have a solo show at the RI Statehouse. During his residency, he created a series of portraits of RI Latino pioneers. The portraits traveled around the state, informing and educating our community about its Hispanic leaders. Featured in the exhibition were leaders Rene grew up with, like Josefina and Tony Rosario, who sponsored and supported immigrating Dominican families, providing free room and board; Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos; Angelica Infante-Green, State Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education; and State Representative Grace Diaz.
Since then, the artist has created many murals and other works that reflect his commitment to giving back to his community. During the pandemic, he created his mural in Onleyville of the Woonasquatucket River Greenway, which depicted a healthcare worker and encouraged people to “Mask Up” in English and Spanish to protect themselves from COVID.
Another mural was a joint effort with neighborhood children at the Sackett Street Recreational Center in PVD. It includes a portrait of him that one of the kids created for the mural, along with different ways of saying “culture” in different languages.
Rene painted yet another mural in Pawtucket to raise awareness about the importance of understanding mental illness. He wanted to demystify the stigma of mental illness and encourage people to understand these health struggles and promote the mental health hotline. Yet another mural is dedicated to childhood cancer and highlights the ringing of the bell when treatment is complete. It features Alma Tavares, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age five. She completed two years of chemotherapy in March 2025 and entered remission. The organization is located at 1017 Broad Street, Providence. (almaschildrencancerfoundation.org)
Rene has also created a painting for Azul.org called “A Little to the Left,” which was displayed at The Ocean Race in Newport. The painting highlights the need for environmental conservation and explains the perils of plastic pollution at our country’s beaches.
Even more recently, he was commissioned to paint a portrait of Carles Gil, the midfielder of the New England Revolution soccer team. The painting hangs in Gillette Stadium. The owner of NuCar outbid everyone to raise funds for the Special Olympics by purchasing the painting.
Today, Rene lives in South Providence and is still deeply committed to his community, his Dominican roots, and his art. I asked him what he would like to do next if he could do anything. He said he would like to create a work that honors Martin Luther King. I cannot wait to see it!
Rene can be found on Instagram @reneizking.