Rebecca Stern
Which 3 words best define how you would like your art to be perceived?
ENGAGING / BEAUTIFUL / EXPRESSIVE
What creative challenge have you faced and overcome that has transformed your art practice?
One creative challenge I have faced (and continue to face to some degree) is wanting my work to look like something other than what it is. I found that when I tried to make work in a certain style - say more minimalist, it was so emotionally laborious and ended up looking terrible - I am just not a minimalist painter! I have found it incredibly liberating to embrace my own style and stay true to what feels right in the studio. And in turn, I'm noticing people respond to my work even more this way.
What tools do you use as part of the preliminary stages of your process?
I don't really have a planning or preliminary stage in my process. My work is intuitively made and each canvas starts in the moment the paint hits the canvas. Those first marks ultimately help shape where the painting goes and it's a fun puzzle to pull the pieces together from first large marks to final small details.
How do you usually start an art session - any habits or rituals ?
I spend a lot of time looking before one of the pieces I've been working on pulls me and I initiate that day's work in the studio. From there I tend to bounce around between working on many paintings at once within a studio session.
How do you deal with doubts and fears?
Doubts and fears are ever present and I find the best way is to just push through and keep painting. When I'm stuck on a certain painting and am not sure what the next move should be, I have a practice where I intentionally paint over my favorite part of the piece. I have noticed when I do this I am able to let go and stop treating the painting as precious. This is when I make my best work.
With what intentions do you infuse your art making?
I consider each of my works what I like to call a Mental Landscape; a depiction of thoughts as they make their way through my brain. A methodical sorting of the different elements of each concept as my psyche makes sense of the world around me. Soft organic moments representing free flowing thoughts without judgement and hard edged shapes that interrupt the circulation. Stripes and solid lines used as a steady constant, like the heartbeat in the background.
Where do you draw your color inspiration from ?
My color inspiration comes from the link between color and emotion, and my own guttural reaction to each color. I use color in a way to punctuate the emotional meaning or intention behind each piece. By adding a punchy color atop a wash of calming blue, there's a stark interruption that I find really interesting.
What brilliant piece of advice were you given on your creative journey and would be happy to share?
To not treat anything I make as precious. To take risks and never become complacent in my practice.
What do you like about your work, what do you dislike about it?
I like that when a painting is seen from far away, it can be appreciated as a whole momen, but when you get close there are layers of mixed media details in my work that are missed when seen from afar. I have heard from my collectors that live with my work that each time they come back to the piece they discover something new in it. I dislike that it feels like there's a lot going on and I sometimes wish I could be a bit more paired down. However, I do think there's a balance there and I'm excited about working towards finding that and seeing where that concept takes me.
What is something absurd that you love doing ?
I talk to myself and my paintings a lot as I'm working. "You need this" or "no that's not right". It seems so silly, but when I get in the flow there's definitely a dialogue there.
What do you tell yourself to keep you out of procrastination?
I wish I had time to procrastinate! As a new mom my time is so valuable that I try to use every moment wisely and rush into my new home studio whenever I have a spare moment.
