B i o g r a p h y

After graduating in Modern Languages from Oxford University, Rebecca studied Objective Life Drawing and Painting at the Slade School of Art and Anatomy at the Princes Drawing School. Subsequently, she took classes in expressive life drawing with two tutors from the Royal College of Art. After living in Madrid for four years – where she gained a diploma in Painting Processes and Techniques at San Fernando Arts Academy - Rebecca has returned to London where she has her studio. Rebecca has exhibited her work in London, Madrid, Northern Spain, Athens and Ireland.

 

S t a t e m e n t

The human figure – as a subject of great power, strength and dynamism – has always been central to my work. For a heightened sense of presence and immediacy, I work with large formats and depict figures that are at least life-size in scale.

My Kiss Me Deep series is an exploration of how heads lock together during a passionate embrace. Each painting seeks to capture the heat and intensity of this intimate activity and distil it for the viewer. These works evolved into The Red Violence series which incorporates bodies and uses a limited palette of black, white and red.

In my Dark Matter series I'm looking for a synthesis between the human figure and wider cosmic context, drawing on cosmology, astrophysics, quantum, Big Bang and dark matter theories. In a sense, I want to feel my way towards a new science-informed spirituality while staying within the tradition of European figure painting.

Continuing my love of human form, I have also produced a series of oils that depict the chronically rheumatoid arthritic hands of my godfather, the sculptor John Pickering.