Work samples

  • Open
    Open

    I pushed the classical technique of painting thick lights and thin darks to an extreme with this painting. In the light the brushwork is loose and textural. In the shadows the paint is almost non-existent. There is little room for error to achieve this look. For this portrait, all the steps came together and fell perfectly into place. I strive for this with all of my paintings.  

    Oil on Belgian linen on board, 11" X 14"

About Rebecca

Do traditional art methods have a place in contemporary art? My career as an artist has been devoted to answering this question. I have always had a love and appreciation for the skill of the Old Masters. I came to Baltimore to study their materials and techniques in the atelier program at the Schuler School of Fine Art. For me the future of art includes a return to beauty, draftsmanship, and classical concepts. 
In my own art I use traditional skills to portray contemporary themes. I… more

Portraits in Sculpture

Sculpture and portraiture are my two deep loves in art. Models and clients are always overjoyed to see themselves portrayed in such a timeless medium.  Everyone I meet instantly becomes a bust in my mind. I wish I could sculpt everyone I meet. My self portrait in terra cotta is my favorite self portrait to date.

  • Day
    Day

    Sculpture bust

    Study in clay

Portraits in Oil

Art has made me fall in love with humanity again. Portraits are the main reason for this. Studying someone in depth, their features and expressions, is an incredibly intimate act. I can discover traits about someone from their features without them telling me. Often what someone likes least about themselves is what I love the most. 

The human form in oil is considered classically as one of the highest art forms. It involves the study of anatomy, composition, color, light, turning forms, all combined with telling the most fascinating stories. I have moved in my own art into a phase of working out bigger figurative compositions. 

  • Professor Payne
    Professor Payne

    Oil on Belgian Linen

Vanitas

Vanitas paintings were often still lifes meant to portray the transience of life. The show the passage of time, and often mix symbols of death with wealth. The may include objects personal to the artist or client. We are reminded that life is short, but also fragile and precious. These vanitas paintings are all personal to myself. I often return to skull paintings when I have a specific story or feeling I want to capture.

  • IMG_6190.jpg
    IMG_6190.jpg

    Oil on Belgian Linen

Still Lifes in Oil

Still lifes were the traditional way artists learned to paint. This is where creating a concept are combined with mixing color and paint application. I have had a life long love for still lifes. They tell a story with objects by the artist using creative light, color, and technique. These still lifes are an exploration of my own journey in learning art, and have helped me to learn who I am as an artist.

  • Peach Harvest
    Peach Harvest

    Oil on Linen

Figures in Sculpture

Sculpture has unexpectably become my true love. Creating in a 3D space has been incredibly liberating for me. There truly is no limit to encacting what is imagined. Sculpting rounded forms and the study of anatomy have helped all aspects of my art. With the figure science and beauty are uniquely combined.

  • Infinity
    Infinity
    Terra cotta with patina

Pen and Ink Wash

Works of art in ink have always fascinated me. The sketches that the Old Masters made in ink on location that would later become masterpieces are dynamic and dramatic. I set out to imitate the feel of these drawings with the materials they would have used. For these I pieces I used mainly traditional hadmade walnut ink for all prima drawings. 
  • Draped
    Draped
    20" X 13" walnut ink on paper