Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Payne.
Hi Rebecca, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
From a very early age, I knew that I wanted to be an artist. I spent a lot of time as a child on creative endeavors including theatre, music, writing, and visual art. In high school, I took art so many times that once I was a senior, they had to create new courses specifically for me. I remember my art teacher telling me that if I ever stopped painting he would kill me, and I thought that was about the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me. From there I went on to study at the Art Institute of Atlanta for a year before transferring to the University of North Georgia, where I completed a degree in painting and alternative process photography. Since then I’ve worked in many creative fields, but at the end of the day, I just want to be making my own art with my own two hands.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think the hardest part about being an artist is maintaining your mindset around it. It takes devotion and a special kind of vulnerability that can be quite intimidating. You are putting very intimate parts of yourself out into the world for people to scrutinize, most of them knowing very little about what it takes to make art in the first place. The tricky part is that you have to rely on other people’s feedback as a sort of barometer but not let it dictate your creativity too much. It can be a lot to manage, especially for a sensitive person, like myself. Another challenge related to mindset is just sitting down and doing the damn thing. I go through phases where I’m generating a lot of ideas and even still, after a lifetime of making art, I feel resistance to doing the actual work. But when I finally stop distracting myself with every other menial task possible and get my hands dirty, that’s when the magic happens.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a multidisciplinary artist but primarily a painter. My work centers around the human form, but more than likeness, I have always aimed to capture emotion in my paintings. I really love making large-scale art and as of late incorporating lots of texture and bold color into my work. When people look at my art, I want it to feel like an embrace to the eyes and for it to be relatable to everyone regardless of ethnicity, gender, background, etc. I think I am most proud of my dedication to my art, despite messages I’ve received around it being a hobby or pipe dream. When you tell people you are an artist, it’s not uncommon to have that followed up with, “so, how do you make money?” Of course, it’s not an easy or conventional lifestyle, but it’s the one of the few things in my life that I have unwavering determination about, and for that, I am proud.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I think what I love most about the art-making process is the life lessons that it continually reinforces. Something as simple as the understanding that nothing will never turn out exactly as it is in your head, in regards to artistic vision, or anything else for that matter. And the realization that when you relinquish control of the outcome, you’ll usually end up with something much better than you could have imagined. Also, that mistakes make things far more interesting and give really good texture.
Contact Info:
- Website: RebeccaPayne-Art.com
- Instagram: @BeccaBgood
Image Credits
Artist’s portrait by Farr Bryant
