Pickens County
Pen and Ink Drawings
As a child, Rebekah copied cartoons and created drawings with
pencil, crayon, paint, or whatever was available. Her parents recognized this
ability to recreate with accuracy the things that she saw and encouraged her
from an early age. At their insistence, she studied art in college when it was
more practical to pursue a profession that would insure a job. As a result,
Rebekah graduated with a degree in art and a minor in science, which she taught
before having the opportunity to teach art to junior high students. As a result
of her husband’s career move later on, she earned a master’s degree in special
education, which “side-tracked” her art career for the past thirty years. Most
of her art is now done on a part time basis.
Rebekah has worked in acrylic paints, oil paints, etchings, and
color pencils but spends her time now concentrating on works in pen and ink.
This form of art, done with Rapidiograph technical pens and black ink, often
takes fifty to one hundred hours to complete, depending on the subject. She
begins with a freehand drawing of her favorite subjects: animals and people.
The drawings are realistic with the uniqueness of the individual subject
captured in the contrast of textures along with the light and dark ink tones.
Although the time and energy put into each original piece makes it hard to part
with, the pen and ink medium is very conducive to the creation of prints.
Rebekah has previously sold her prints by
word-of–mouth promotion and has been commissioned to do portraits of children,
pets, and historical architecture.