Whether old interior magazines, patterned wrapping papers or postcards, Cornwall-based mixed media artist Rebecca Cox is a magpie for colour and texture. “At home I keep scraps of packaging and handmade textiles. If I receive a present wrapped in beautiful tissue, I add it to the collection,” she says. “I like flicking through my stack of vintage magazines and finding a tone that I might not be able to quite make using paint.”
These varied materials feed into Rebecca’s richly layered paint and collage artworks. Typically, she begins with a pencil sketch before combining acrylic paint, oil pastels and found imagery to create a visual narrative that reveals itself slowly. “I build up surfaces, then scrape or rub them back, and add flips of texture by cutting-and-pasting snippets from magazines,” she explains. “People say that the more they look, the more they notice a piece of text or a pattern that slightly comes through in the background. The longer someone spends with a piece, the more they get from it, which I really love.”
Themes of domesticity and still life are explored through a contemporary painting style that merges realism and abstract – much like artists such as Henri Matisse and Frida Kahlo, who she cites as inspiration. “I don’t want to create a perfect picture of a vase. The beauty of art is that there are no rules saying that you must draw exactly what’s in front of you. I like to bring in things I’ve seen, perhaps in a gallery or when travelling,” she says, recalling a walk she did while on holiday in Greece earlier this year. “I came across these amazing seedheads that had dried out in the sun. I loved the shape and just thought, I need to incorporate that in a painting.”
Rebecca works from her home, and the space is filled with objects – vases of dried flowers, artisanal pottery – that often end up featuring in a composition. Influences also come from the continually shifting coastal light, as well as her view of Penzance promenade and the sea beyond. “I love walking, swimming, anything outdoorsy and the seasonal changes are so obvious here. The weather will go from autumnal colours one minute to amazing storms the next and I try to show that lightness in my work.”
This summer, she enrolled in a printmaking course at Penzance School of Art to broaden her repertoire of techniques. “It reminded me of being at college when I was studying art and design, and got to try so many different artforms. As a student, I liked the idea of not being defined by one thing; that was when I knew I wanted to do something creative as a career. With mono prints and press prints you don’t know the outcome and I’ve taken that approach of trusting the process more into my own pieces now,” she says. In many ways, this uncertainty is a contrast to Rebecca’s day job as a knitwear designer. “In design, you know what the final product is going to be, the thinking is logical. Whereas with art, there’s a freedom to experiment and just see what happens, to believe that a painting will become what it’s supposed to.”
Encouraged by a textiles teacher at college, Rebecca went on to study fashion design at the University of Leeds, only specialising in knitwear in the last couple of years. “It happened naturally because I’m more interested in looking at colours and textures than designing clothing. It also goes hand in hand with creating tactile paintings,” she says. “I've always done drawings and sketches on the side – I find it really meditative – and recently I’ve been sharing more of my personal passion for art.” Choosing a bright, bold palette, and using it in unexpected ways, is a key part of that, as is celebrating often overlooked details. “There’s a sense of fun and playfulness to my work; I see the beauty in everyday objects and I want to capture that through colour and collage.”
Rebecca created the artwork for our Festive Wishlist prize draw. We are offering you the chance to win your festive wishlist. There will be 3 winners each week. To enter, choose your wishlist piece here.
Rebecca wears the TOAST Graph Check Mulmul Shirt and Collared Cable Cardigan.
Words by Emma Love.
Photography by Marco Kesseler.
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