Rebecca Green is one multi-talented lady. Though it's a degree in illustration that hangs proudly on her wall, the Colorado-based artist also dabbles in painting, 3D artwork and stop motion animation, and on top of all that she has the skills to brew a top notch cup of joe. Phewph!

We've particularly fallen for her beautiful layered paintings and illustrations, so we got in touch to find out a little more about her art.



What is your name and how old are you? Rebecca Green, 27

Where were you born and where do you live now? I was born in Owosso, Michigan, a very small town. I grew up there until I moved away for college. I currently live in Denver, Colorado, which is a lot like Michigan as far as weather goes, but with more things to do, more sunshine, and mountains. I just moved to Denver a couple of months ago and am still feeling very new here.

How does where you grew up and where you live now affect your art? Both places have woods, and I love the woods. There you can find life in so much abundance, in every nook and cranny. Both places also have seasons, and I work well to the flow of seasons. It helps me relax and produce at what feels like the right time.



Please describe the space where you do most of your creation – whether it's your art studio or kitchen bench! I work from home in a small bedroom with wooden floors and two bright windows. It's pretty small, but I've got a table for drawing, an easel for painting, a table for sewing, and a little station for miniature building. It's the first time I've worked from home in a while and it's sort of hard spending so much time alone. I do have two incredible pets who I talk to, although they're not very conversational.

What kind of mediums do you use? Why do you choose to use these mediums? I work mainly in acrylic. It's so versatile. Use it thick or thin, on paper or wood. It has a low toxicity, and a very fast dry time, and I work pretty fast, layering and layering and changing things around a thousand times. Acrylic is perfect for that. I coat a lot of my work with oil if it's on a wooden panel.

Is there a running theme to the work you create, or do you just make whatever comes to mind? The only running theme is that it represents an extremely broad perception, my perception, of the world. I don't really plan my work in detail, so I always end up weaving and changing ideas, and connecting new ideas together. I'm basically just putting down vaporous thoughts in my head. I have a very small perception of the universe. We all do. I think that's why my figures are so young, and the moments so small and simple.



What kinds of ideas and things are you working on at the moment? Currently I'm doing a large amount of commercial work, but also trying to stay atop of gallery/personal work. I'm experimenting with darker colors, and flatter shapes. I'd love to get more loose in my work. It's easy to get comfortable in painting, so I've switched up my process, and am painting more on paper, which is new for me.

If you were to teach an art appreciation class, what kind of lessons would you try to teach your students? I would want to teach a lesson where the end product is wide open. In art, it's easy to feel like you have to produce something so specific and that expectation leaves you stuck. It leaves you feeling incapable. It's hard, then, to find that avenue that you can do just wide open. You have to find that fiery raw passion for a process that is so fulfilling, you forget to stop and eat or sleep. That sort of love for a process is hard to find (for me anyway), and so often, especially when making art is your job, it's easy to forget that you are capable of great things if you just let go of your expectations. Of course, you have to work hard at learning a specific process, but since this is hypothetical, my budget is limitless and all of my students get to do whatever they want, as long as they want to do it. Ha. I probably should never be a teacher.



What is the strangest thing or thought that has inspired a piece of work? I recently did a painting called My Insides are Gold. I was resting after a yoga practice, and when I rest, as is the case with most people, ideas can flood in. I was just thinking of how incredible we are - our bodies, inside and out, and how really lucky we are to have them on our side. I just pictured this woman with gold flowing out of the inside of her body. So I painted something a little like that.

Which era of art do you appreciate the most? I would say artwork done in caves tens of thousands of years ago. It's mind blowing. I like to ponder about what position artists held in those societies and why they felt the need to record visually, their existence. We've come so far, but I feel like it's such an incredible creative relationship we share with the ancestors we come from.

What do you doodle when you are daydreaming? I'm not really a doodler like I used to be. But if I was doodling, I'd be drawing animated characters, typography, coffee cups, and random thoughts.



What other budding artists do you love? I love the work of Becca Stadtlander, Erin Paisley, Teagan White, Yelena Bryksenkova and Camilla Engman - but I'm not too sure if can label any of them as budding.

What do you enjoy doing when not creating art? Hanging out with my fella and our animals, cooking, walking, reading, drinking good beer and good coffee. And writing letters to my friends. I'm also currently learning to sew and needlefelt, which is like taking a break from art since I'm only doing for myself.

Where can we see more of your work? myblankpaper.com or on Instagram @rebeccagreenillustration