About the Artist
Rebecca Ravenal
ARTIST STATEMENT
I’ve been making things for most of my life -- pottery, mosaics, mixed-media, painting. It’s not just what I do, it’s who I am. There’s joy in conjuring something tangible and useful from my imagination and satisfaction in skillfully manipulating materials. I love the crisp snap of cutting stained glass and the feel of malleable clay spinning through my hands.
My pieces are bold, colorful, and fun, inspired by tradition but updated with the use of non-traditional techniques and materials. I see the potential for creating art everywhere, re-purposing unusual objects to find those that fit each project best. I often pick up small items on walks, envisioning how to use them in a project.
I see the world through a craftsperson’s eyes.
STATEMENT FOR THE FEB. 2026 SHOW AT STRATHMORE HALL:
My mother was an artist. She saw the world through a painter’s eyes, noting subtle shifts of shadow and light, the play of vibrant colors against each other. These were her frames of reference for capturing and creating beauty all around her.
After she passed away, I walked the beloved property where my mother painted. I found her half-spent paints and the old coffee can full of brushes and set up the worn easel and a still life in her studio. As I painted, I could see the world through her eyes. Then I created that scene in glass mosaic, to see it again with my own artistic vision.
I continue this two-step process, first a painting then a mosaic. I like the contrasting considerations of each: fluid paint vs. rigid glass, freely applied brushstrokes vs. cutting and sanding each small piece, blending exactly the colors I want vs. finding fortuitous streaks and swirls in the glass. The mosaic is informed by the painting.
When I create these pieces, it’s like sitting on the porch of the family home having a conversation with my mother, exploring the meaning of that special shared place, our different ways of translating the world through art and craft, and the legacy of creativity from parent to child.
