About the Artist
Rebecca Wilkinson
Rebecca's life-long passion for visual expression of nature and world culture, she attributes to her artistic father and wanderlust mother. They encouraged and nurtured her dream to travel and immerse herself in far-flung cultures around the world. In college Rebecca earned a B.A. in Soviet and Eastern Europe Studies at BU in Boston and an M.I.A. from Columbia University School of International Affairs. As a student and later a teacher, she received numerous educational, travel and cultural grants that sent her to study in Europe, Central America, and Japan.
Her first trip outside the U.S. was to Communist Poland in the 1970's, where for nearly a decade, she taught art and Polish as a second language at the American School of Warsaw. The early 80's found her teaching art at the International School of Amsterdam for three years before moving state-side to Denver for seven years to teach art in public schools (where she also continued her own art education). She interned in the Asian Department of the Denver Art Museum and before she moved to Kentucky, she was awarded Colorado Art Teacher of the year in 1992. Besides teaching art and gifted classes at the DOD schools in Ft. Knox, Rebecca founded the Central Kentucky Art Guild and began entering her work in juried competitions.
Next stop was a four-year stint in Leavenworth, Kansas where her husband eventually retired from the Army and she gave up her teaching profession after 23 years. They moved into a loft in Kansas City next door to the River Market Artists' Coalition.
Rebecca rented a large studio nearby in a West Bottom six-story brick and timber warehouse. The rest is history - five years devoted to making her own art, partaking of the KC art scene, exhibiting, curating the annual Grand Nude Show, organizing open studios for what grew to be 45 artists and turning the Hobbs building into an art destination.
In 2004, all came to a halt when her husband was offered a job in Florida. She agreed on the condition that they would live on a lake. And that is where they live to this day. She designed a studio that looks out over the lake and continues to paint, exhibit, win awards, and of course travel. By last count, 33 countries - many, multiple times. Hawaii is a yearly trip or two to visit her daughter (also an artist) on the Big Island. Next trip is a solo driving trip in Iceland.
2024 upset.
Rebecca's life-long passion for visual expression of nature and world culture, she attributes to her artistic father and wanderlust mother. They encouraged and nurtured her dream to travel and immerse herself in far-flung cultures around the world. In college Rebecca earned a B.A. in Soviet and Eastern Europe Studies at BU in Boston and an M.I.A. from Columbia University School of International Affairs. As a student and later a teacher, she received numerous educational, travel and cultural grants that sent her to study in Europe, Central America, and Japan.
Her first trip outside the U.S. was to Communist Poland in the 1970's, where for nearly a decade, she taught art and Polish as a second language at the American School of Warsaw. The early 80's found her teaching art at the International School of Amsterdam for three years before moving state-side to Denver for seven years to teach art in public schools (where she also continued her own art education). She interned in the Asian Department of the Denver Art Museum and before she moved to Kentucky, she was awarded Colorado Art Teacher of the year in 1992. Besides teaching art and gifted classes at the DOD schools in Ft. Knox, Rebecca founded the Central Kentucky Art Guild and began entering her work in juried competitions.
Next stop was a four-year stint in Leavenworth, Kansas where her husband eventually retired from the Army and she gave up her teaching profession after 23 years. They moved into a loft in Kansas City next door to the River Market Artists' Coalition.
Rebecca rented a large studio nearby in a West Bottom six-story brick and timber warehouse. The rest is history - five years devoted to making her own art, partaking of the KC art scene, exhibiting, curating the annual Grand Nude Show, organizing open studios for what grew to be 45 artists and turning the Hobbs building into an art destination.
In 2004, all came to a halt when her husband was offered a job in Florida. She agreed on the condition that they would live on a lake. And that is where they live to this day. She designed a studio that looks out over the lake and continues to paint, exhibit, win awards, and of course travel. By last count, 33 countries - many, multiple times. Hawaii is a yearly trip or two to visit her daughter (also an artist) on the Big Island. Next trip is a solo driving trip in Iceland.
2024 upset.