Q: Hi Rebecca, first of all we would like know more about you. Tell us who is Rebecca Venn, tell us something about your life and your childhood.
A: I was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA, a médium size town on the Ohio River. Neither of my parents were in the Arts. My father was an electircian and my mother was a housewife who worked part time jobs occasionally. I am an only child and drawing was a major source of my entertainment as a child.

Q: What is art for you?
A: Art is the reason I breathe. It gives me much pleasure and I find I lose a sense of time when I am painting or drawing. It makes time stand still, it keeps me sane in the challenges of life.

Q: How did you get started in the art world? Have you always been interested in arts?
A: I have always been interested in art. I took every art class that was offered at my small college. I have continued to paint and draw and I teach occasionally. I have searched out galleries and art competitions in order to exhibit. I have won awards and am represented in galleries in Wisconsin and California.


Q: The mayority of your artworks are draws, excelents nudes, Do you practice other techniques like painting, sculpture or photography? Why?
A: I originally began drawing flowers in colored pencil which I still love to do. I do landscapes in watercolor, especially when we travel. I have always maintained my interest throughout my career in the beauty of the human form. I find it challenging and and I try to celebrate the beauty of being human. I also enjoy painting in oils and have some portraits and figures in this médium. I plan to do more painting in the upcoming year.

Q: Your artworks shows a great serenity and sensitivity, What concept are you showing to your viewers? What would you like say with your works?
A: It depends on the story I want to tell. Each model brings a different story that is shown in their muscles, bones and the light on their skin. I want to celebrate the diverse beauty of the human form; the struggles, resilience, and strength, of being human.

Q: The use of line in some of your drawings remind us the great masters of the Renaissance, are you aware of these influences?

A: I have always admired the Renaissance artists like Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Tinteretto. I am honored that you would say that you see these influences.

Q: Why do you choose the drawing as a means of expression?
A: There is such variety of media in drawing. There is something about the touch of the pencil on paper. Sometimes strong gritty marks are needed, sometimes a more delicate expressión is called for…but the feel of pencil to paper is simple, immediate and honest and it is possible to make it almost painterly using graphite stick and erasures. The simplicity that can express complication fascintates me. I feel like I am carving the figure out of a two dimensional surface.

Q: The models used in your drawings are important? Do you look for different types of people depending on the work to play?
A: The models are very important. I have several models that I work with. I feel a great honor that they inspire me with their own creativity. I look for models that express whatever story I am trying to tell. They do not need to be perfectly proportioned because my stories tell a variety of experiences.


Q: Do you carry out investigations before starting to develop a work?
A: Yes. When an idea enters my consciousness I try several sketches to describe the composition or colors I want to use. Some artworks originate in my sketchbook. Some are from a figure I might see across a room. I sometimes research the idea through books if it is a historical or mythological idea.

Q: Could you talk about the procedures that you use in your artworks? Preparation, development and finishing.
A: The procedures vary. Sometimes an artwork is completed in a few sittings. Some have taken weeks and months. An artwork can get to a particular stage and then sit on an easel for weeks until I see what needs to be done next. I might work for hours in my Studio and somedays I work only a few minutes. If the piece isn’t working I will leave it alone and just stare at it for a while. I sometimes take the painting or drawing out of the Studio and put in somewhere in my house to surprise myself and then see it a new.

Q: What are the most important artist that are influence in your life and your works?
A: Michelangelo’s powerful figures, Van Gogh’s passion, Edward Hopper’s mysterious stories, and John Singer Sargent’s exquisite Light. All of these artists inspire me as I strive to find my own place.

Q: What do you feel when you're finished a artwork?
A: Exhaltation and sadness. I am usually working on more than one artwork at a time so I am always moving on to the next one. But it is hard to actually be finished because I love doing them. The time spent on each one is a piece of myself.

Q: Do you have some challenge or goal which you are pursuing? Do you have any other goals or challenge?
A: My biggest challenge is to find time to do the ideas in my head and finding a larger venue to show my work.

Q: Have you had bad artistic moments in which you decided to leave the art world?
A: I cannot imagine ever stopping what I do. I love it. I might not be involved with organizations but I will always paint and draw.

Q: Some quick questions:
Tell us an artist: Van Gogh the master of plein aire.
Tell us a city: Venice. In a góndola painting like John Singer Sargent!
Tell us a dream: To spend a month in Spain or Italy and meet other artists. To paint and draw there. To see my work exhibited in a beautiful gallery in a large city.

Q: For all your work, which is your favorite artwork or you love most?
A: Whatever work I am drawing or painting at the present. But I will always be fond of one I titled “Javelin I”-right- because of the discovery of the figure in the paper, the model I worked with and the collector who bought it.

Q: Could you tell us something about you are currently working?
A: At present I am working on two pieces. One is a Prismacolor drawing called “Persephone Returns” and the other is a painting titled “Swoon”. Both are female nudes but different models who come to my studio occasionally.

Q: Have you got some anecdote that you wish share with meseon community?
A: Listen to yourself; other voices merely distract you on your journey.

Thanks a lot for your time Rebecca. Has been a pleasure know more about you.