Visions of Illusion by Rebeccah Fries

Artist

Rebeccah Fries grew up in So Cal where she began making art at an early age. Encouraged by creative parents she experimented with many different mediums and techniques and is mostly self taught. She migrated north in 2015 doing full time van life and part time farm work up and down the west coast, finally settling down and putting some roots in Astoria in 2020. She is a hairstylist by trade since 1996 doing hair as another form of art. When not in the salon or art studio her greatest joy comes from spending time in nature, camping, hiking, mushroom hunting and listening to audio books by the campfire.

Artist statement:

My art has always been a source of personal therapy and meditation, something to focus on when I'm feeling stress or anxiety. Sometimes I just need something to do with my hands as I procese life in my head. Painting lines and dots is soothing and brings me peace. I paint all free hand with tiny brushes. P'm never in a hurry to finish a piece, I simply enjoy having something to be working on. Most of my paintings take more than a month to finish, some have taken more than a year to complete. I enjoy working with many different mediums, including oil, acrylic, gouache, watercolor, India ink, and pen drawings. I love painting with metallics and most of my newer works include some kind of metallic paints. My inspiration comes from many sources including nature and science. I've been influenced by surrealism since I was very young and love to incorporate ideas from dreams into my work. I also have a great love of bright colors and complex patterns. My style can greatly vary depending on my mood and I view all of my work as a sort of personal journal that reflects whatever | was going through in life as I was creating it.