Rebekah Rigsby

About the Artist

Rebekah Rigsby, Salem, is a mixed media artist who specializes in paper collage, acrylics, and watercolor.  Raised in the Silver Creek canyon, her landscapes incorporate the unique colors and fiber patterns of paper and delicately capture some of the most impressive features of the region, including Willamette Valley Wine Country, Silver Falls State Park, and the Columbia River Gorge.  Recent work includes text and printed material of all kinds from textbooks to sewing patterns. Changes in personal life as well as the many serious issues facing our world have become powerful influences in current artwork.

Rebekah is a member of Lunaria Gallery in Silverton where she shows her work year round.  She teaches art classes to elementary school students and is the owner of ARTIST PALETTE PRINTING - a business that creates digital images and archival reproductions of artist's work.  She served on the Salem Art Association Board for six years and continues to volunteer for SAA.  Rebekah graduated from Willamette University with a degree in Studio Art and Spanish.  She was further mentored and influenced by her father, Tom Allen, who made a successful career of his art and always encouraged the pursuit of doing something that you love. 

Artist Statement

As the daughter of a professional artist, I grew up in the Willamette Valley art community, experimenting with a variety of media in my father’s studio at an early age.  Whether painting, printmaking or sculpting, there was never any question about being an artist.  It was only a matter of what kind.  Today, my primary interest is two-dimensional mixed media, though I still enjoy several media options.  Beyond receiving a BA in Studio Art and Spanish from Willamette University, my continual desire to create is also expressed in a variety of other forms including cooking, gardening and teaching art to all ages of children.

The quest for unique artistic style is life-long, presenting a clearer path at some times than others.  In 2007, after much experimentation, I settled on my current form of mixed media expression.  At this time, all of my pieces are paper collage and many include paint (usually acrylic).  While the order and manner of application can vary greatly, most of my recent work is focused on extensive layering with paper as the dominant medium and paint playing a supporting role.  

In all aspects of life, I find color, texture and words to be inspirational.  By combining the colorful versatility of paint, the fibrous, organic nature of paper, and the immeasurable power of words, I find ways to translate the inherent qualities of the media into rich images depicting the complex, beautiful and sometimes unsettling world around us.