Rebecca Crowell

The abstract, visual vocabulary of my work has evolved from what I see and experience in the wild, rugged landscapes of northern New Mexico, and from time spent in other remote places in the world. I'm moved by the visual drama of these landscapes and their more subtle aspects that reveal themselves over time. These visual impressions form my basic visual vocabulary, but they interact with memories, thoughts, emotions, and purely abstract elements as I paint. The result is much more of an inner landscape than a literal depiction. My imagery is developed intuitively, and my materials are primarily oil paint mixed with cold wax medium, a paste-like substance that adds body and luminosity to the pigment. The complex surfaces of my work are the result of building up many layers of this mixture with various tools and techniques, as well as selectively scraping and dissolving areas to reveal underlying layers. Abstracting from the landscape has taught me what I want my paintings to be—strong yet nuanced, bold yet intricate, and possessing a quiet, contained energy.

I’ve been painting professionally for over 40 years and remain challenged and energized by the depth of my studio practice. I've been living in Dixon, New Mexico since 2020 and am delighted to be in a location so supportive of the arts. In my career, I'm fortunate to have had my work widely exhibited in both solo and group exhibits across the US and in several European exhibits, and to be included in hundreds of private, public, and corporate collections. Travel to attend artists residencies in Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and Portugal and to teach workshops in the US and internationally has long been a source of inspiration and connection to other artists worldwide. In 2017, I co-authored the comprehensive book, Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations, considered the standard reference book for the medium and now in its second edition. The techniques in the book are ones I developed independently through experiments with the medium in the early 2000s and continue to use in my work today.

2-D, Painting (all materials)