Collection: Rebecca Sobin

Rebecca is inspired through both the internal and external aspects of her life. The world creates her palette, gives her subject matter, which is then interpreted into a mostly abstract form, derived from her internal landscape. She is an intuitive painter. Color and form develop through improvisational wandering -- a place, an emotion, an act of creation in a dream state, all inform the texture, light and gesture of a piece.

Textures and layers in her work are all applied by hand, or with tools such as a squeegee, a palette knife, and at times common household objects, depending on the emotive qualities of the piece.

Rebecca paints in oil and cold wax medium, creating deep, rich layers of color, then adding transparent glazes to create a translucent quality. To enhance the topography and the mystery of a piece, objects or materials are buried within the layers, such as handmade papers, coffee grounds, flower petals, paper wasp nest, and powdered pigments, including pastels and tie dye powder. A glimpse of these articles and earlier colors are seen as the paints are added and then reduced by “digging into” a painting’s history, as in an archeological record, or dissolving down to earlier layers. Paintings are done on cradled wood panels with some paintings having an added sculptural effect such as niches and 3D structures on the panels. Found objects and old wood are utilized when possible, which contribute to the history of the individual piece.

She views her work as a journey. Having lived in different regions throughout time, the topography, people, flora, fauna and cultural aspects of place have added direction, depth and nuance into the stories they each hold, the stories that the viewer can integrate into their own internal landscape.