Meet the Artist - Rebecca Carter

“It started with a hummingbird…”

Rebecca spent her days as a small child, drawing and doodling, covering every surface with her art. During her high school years, she drifted away from doing art - until a hummingbird brought her back.

“When I began painting again at 66 I tried painting realistically. A close friend was losing her battle with breast cancer, and I came to stay with her to help. She was very weak and could do nothing but sit and watch tv and her beloved hummingbirds feeding outside her window. I was having a hard time coping with the thought of losing her, needing something to occupy my mind and wanted to do something , anything to bring her even the tiniest bit of joy. I decided to paint a hummingbird for her. I went on YouTube and watched a tutorial and painted that hummingbird. She died not long after. I began painting obsessively as a catharsis. 4 years later I am still painting obsessively. There isn’t a day that goes by that she isn’t on my mind. Painting is still cathartic for me. I feel she was & still is my muse.”

Remembering the encouragement of a junior high school art teacher to explore abstract painting, Rebecca’s creative path soon took her from realistic subjects to letting her emotions run with her feelings and letting the paint take her places. Luckily for us, we get to go with her. Rebecca’s paintings draw you into an explosion of motion, emotion, color and more color. Her abstract creations invoke, memories of a vibrant sun sinking into the sea in a glorious sunset, or the magic of standing at the beach with the foam of the ocean washing around your toes. The next time you are at Splash, spend some time enjoying Rebecca’s art.