Daily Inspiration: Meet Rebecca Padilla-Pipkin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Padilla-Pipkin. 

Hi Rebecca, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I am an interdisciplinary visual artist and educator living and working in Phoenix, Arizona. I earned a Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of Oklahoma and am currently pursuing a Master of Fine Art at Arizona State University. After moving to the United States at age 10, I have lived a transient life and am influenced by the many places I have loved. My creative work explores themes of place-making, belonging, and transience through a wide variety of materials and processes. Ultimately, I strives to make work that deepens our understanding and love of place and each other. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Throughout the pursuit of my career as an artist, there have been immense hurdles, joys, and breakthroughs. Continuing to pursue what I love, teach what I love, and press onward even when there are difficulties has manifested resilience that I am very thankful for. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Using place-specific materials as an avenue, my work explores themes of place-making, transience, and rootedness. I strive to bring myself and the viewer to a deeper connection and understanding of place by responding to the emotional and natural landscapes we inhabit. Using a wide variety of materials such as transitory plants, fibers, and paper, I investigate how we can know place through the materials and forms found there. These materials, like ourselves, have the ability to record, index, and respond to places as a way of dwelling with and within them. By observing, thoughtfully gathering, and transforming these materials, I manifest the longing to know and cultivate placescapes of belonging and rootedness for transitory beings, both human and nonhuman. 

How do you define success?
Success must be individually defined. It must also be held loosely because the definition will inevitably change. Broadly speaking, success for me looks like having been able to strike the balance between having done my best, being proud of my work, having rested and cared for my mind, soul, and body, having cared for others, and contributed to something generative that will propel me forward. In anything I pursue, I will feel successful If I can balance all these different aspects. 

Contact Info:

• Email: rebeccapipkinfineart@gmail.com
• Website: rebeccapipkinfineart.com
• Instagram: @pipkincreates