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.
All her current collections of work are created using layers of primarily oil and cold wax, however Sobin loves to experiment and also utilizes acrylic paints, India ink, Asemic writing, a
variety of mark-making tools, powdered pigments, and objects from the natural world collaged into her work. Texture, light and transparency, topography, and composition are informed by the
internal and external facets of daily life, as well as from her dreamscapes, imparting an essence of spirit and Anima.
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, fora, 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.
Bio
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Rebecca Sobin is a contemporary abstract artist who divides her time between the Rocky Mountains of Montana and the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. She self-describes as both an artist and a science geek and considers these two aspects of her life as being a cross-pollination, each perfectly
balancing the other.
Sobin holds her Master's and clinical Doctorate in Chinese medicine. After years in both higher education (professor and clinical dean) and seeing patients in the clinical setting, she fnally retired from medicine to fully focus on her painting. The journey to deeply delve back into her art went through several incarnations – musician, poet, photographer, and watercolorist – all leading to the abstract work she embraces today.
All her current collections of work are created using layers of primarily oil and cold wax on cradled, wood panels, however Sobin considers her work as mixed media, as many techniques and mediums are combined to create her Abstract-expressive paintings.
Sobin sometimes feels as if she is making up for lost time, and although she has not spent a lifetime focused solely on her artwork, she has already participated in many group and juried shows and is represented by seven galleries across the western states. She is a member of American Women Artists, The Montana Pastel Society, The Artist Alliance (Santa Fe), and the Tubac Center of the Arts (AZ).
She considers home-base as anywhere her husband, dogs, and studio are located.
