Rebecca Harper
Rebecca Harper’s figurative images are rooted in drawing from observation whether it be from life, borrowed source material, or old photographs found in her family archive. Her subjects and their surroundings take on a dreamlike quality through her distinctive glowing palette and use of translucent layering. Whether working on canvas or paper, the resulting pictures are inhabited by characters that appear both languid and restless; seemingly stopped in time, like snapshots of memories. Water - as a symbolic life force - is a recurring theme throughout Rebecca’s imagery. Her most recent works explore the mythical world of selkies and mermaids, and ideas around transformation and the shedding of one’s skin.
Rebecca studied at the Royal Drawing School, London, followed by the Turps Banana Art School, London. She has exhibited widely in the UK and Europe and was selected for the Bloomberg New Contemporaries exhibition at the South London Gallery in 2019. She is represented by Anima Mundi Gallery in St. Ives, Cornwall, who presented a solo exhibition of her work titled ‘The Waters of Dwelling’ in September 2021. In the same year, a large-scale painting by Rebecca was selected for the prestigious John Moores Painting Prize exhibition. We were proud to exhibit Rebecca’s work in the first group exhibition in our founder’s home in 2020 and subsequently launched our online shop with a collection of paintings on paper and sketchbook drawings by Rebecca in spring 2022. We also showed three new paintings by Rebecca in our 2024 group exhibition Almost Blue.
Most recently, Rebecca’s work has been exhibited in Japan with Spurs Gallery At Tokyo Gendai (July 2024) , and in the Royal Drawing School’s 2024 summer show ‘Drawn Together’. Her work is held in several notable public collections including Windsor Castle and Dumfries House.
Rebecca works in Deptford, south east London.
Shop works by Rebecca Harper
Watercolour pencil on watercolour paper, 15 x 21cm, (unframed, from the artist’s sketchbook)
Rebecca Harper’s figurative images are rooted in drawing from observation whether it be from life, borrowed source material, or old photographs found in her family archive. Her subjects and their surroundings take on a dreamlike quality through Rebecca’s distinctive glowing palette and use of translucent layering. Whether working on canvas or paper, the resulting pictures are inhabited by characters that appear both languid and restless; seemingly stopped in time, like snapshots of memories.
This drawing, taken from the artist’s sketchbook, is one of several new studies of the female figure; water is also a constant theme running through her practice. This growing body of work explores a new area of interest for the artist - the mythical world of mermaids and selkies. In Rebecca’s words:
‘The symbolic, reoccurring fish in these images acts as a metaphor for the unconscious, higher self and a feeling of deeper awareness. Since water brings life, all the creatures living beneath its surface symbolise fertility, birth, and rebirth’.
Rebecca studied at the Royal Drawing School, London, followed by the Turps Banana Art School, London. She has exhibited widely in the UK and Europe and was selected for the Bloomberg New Contemporaries exhibition at the South London Gallery in 2018. Anima Mundi Gallery in St. Ives, Cornwall, presented a a solo exhibition of her work, ‘The Waters of Dwelling’ in September 2021. Her paintings were also shown by Huxley Parlour Gallery, London, in 2019. Most recently, Rebecca was selected for the prestigious John Moores Painting Prize in 2021. Rebecca’s studio is in Deptford, south east London.
Watercolour pencil on watercolour paper, 20.5 x 15cm (unframed, from the artist’s sketchbook)
Rebecca Harper’s figurative images are rooted in drawing from observation whether it be from life, borrowed source material, or old photographs found in her family archive. Her subjects and their surroundings take on a dreamlike quality through Rebecca’s distinctive glowing palette and use of translucent layering. Whether working on canvas or paper, the resulting pictures are inhabited by characters that appear both languid and restless; seemingly stopped in time, like snapshots of memories.
This drawing, taken from the artist’s sketchbook, is one of several new studies of the female figure; water is also a constant theme running through her practice. This growing body of work explores a new area of interest for the artist - the mythical world of mermaids and selkies. Rebecca has also drawn inspiration from the writings of Virgina Wolf:
‘The fish is allegorical and a symbol of Woolf’s thoughts (that never came to fruition) concerning women and creation. In ‘A Room of One’s Own’ we see Wolf explore the need for women to have independent space to create’.
Rebecca studied at the Royal Drawing School, London, followed by the Turps Banana Art School, London. She has exhibited widely in the UK and Europe and was selected for the Bloomberg New Contemporaries exhibition at the South London Gallery in 2018. Anima Mundi Gallery in St. Ives, Cornwall, presented a a solo exhibition of her work, ‘The Waters of Dwelling’ in September 2021. Her paintings were also shown by Huxley Parlour Gallery, London, in 2019. Most recently, Rebecca was selected for the prestigious John Moores Painting Prize in 2021. Rebecca’s studio is in Deptford, south east London.
Watercolour pencil on watercolour paper, 21 x 29.5cm, (unframed, from the artist’s sketchbook)
Rebecca Harper’s figurative images are rooted in drawing from observation whether it be from life, borrowed source material, or old photographs found in her family archive. Her subjects and their surroundings take on a dreamlike quality through Rebecca’s distinctive glowing palette and use of translucent layering. Whether working on canvas or paper, the resulting pictures are inhabited by characters that appear both languid and restless; seemingly stopped in time, like snapshots of memories.
This drawing, taken from the artist’s sketchbook, is one of several new studies of the female figure; water is also a constant theme running through her practice. This growing body of work explores a new area of interest for the artist - the mythical world of mermaids and selkies. In Rebecca’s words:
‘These studies examine the shedding of one’s skin and the discomfort felt through the often transformative process of growth. River bound, the woman protagonist is a fish out of water’.
Rebecca studied at the Royal Drawing School, London, followed by the Turps Banana Art School, London. She has exhibited widely in the UK and Europe and was selected for the Bloomberg New Contemporaries exhibition at the South London Gallery in 2018. Anima Mundi Gallery in St. Ives, Cornwall, presented a a solo exhibition of her work, ‘The Waters of Dwelling’ in September 2021. Her paintings were also shown by Huxley Parlour Gallery, London, in 2019. Most recently, Rebecca was selected for the prestigious John Moores Painting Prize in 2021. Rebecca’s studio is in Deptford, south east London.