Meet Rebecca Emily

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Emily.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Rebecca. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am an artist and comedian originally from Salem, Massachusetts. My life-long interest in visual communication and expression was ignited at a young age. Growing up with a nonverbal autistic brother, I have always been surrounded by pictographs and storyboards visually describing the world. I attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts with a concentration in theatre and I am currently completing a degree in Printmaking at Arizona State University. My work focuses on the human experience through a distinctly satirical and feminine lens. By utilizing commercial and hand printing processes, my pieces explore the dialogue of how our interpersonal relationships intertwine with physical objects.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
To get to where I am now has taken a lot of time, growth, and healing. I have been managing mental illness for nine years and chronic pain for over six. My solace through it all has been comedy and art. My initial plans of pursuing the performing arts were halted when I started to experience extreme jaw pain and eventually I underwent multiple surgeries to repair the joints. While healing, I’d spend off time at the museums and attend night classes in screen printing, intaglio, and life drawing at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. I began to understand the power of print and its history of nonverbal communication. The support of my family, my friends, and my passion for print is truly what has gotten me to this point.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I mainly work within a printmaking process called photolithography. The images used are sourced from the ’50s and ’60s illustration and advertising. I then pull objects and text messages from my everyday life and collage on top of these images. I utilize a commercial process of creating my images digitally and splitting them into four separate layers of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. Once the images are split, I expose each layer on a separate light-sensitive plate, chemically process them, and then print each layer on top of each other by hand on a printing press. Once I have completed the first step of this process, I go back in by hand and create washed or painted backgrounds that are then exposed to another plate and printed. I aim to combine old and new print processes as well as imagery. My work is mainly satirical and light-hearted. I enjoy poking fun at social norms and the romantic relationships we have with each other and objects.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
As of right now, I am in a very exciting position. I complete my degree in May and have hopes of continuing with printmaking and hopes of exploring more artist communities across the globe. Coming from the East Coast alone has given me the confidence and skills to work anywhere and with anyone. I am interested in residencies and getting to know the global print community. I have big dreams of eventually opening a studio practice of my own and wish to gain as much experience as possible. I feel working or experimenting in various print shops with various printers will teach me more of the ins and outs of what it truly takes to be a contemporary printmaker.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rebeccaemily.net
• Phone: 9783171094
• Email: rebeccaemilyarts@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/re_prints/

Image Credit:
Rebecca Emily

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