Mother, Artist, Teacher /
Intricately clever and delicately beautiful, Rebecca Thomson’s work draws you in, surprising you and catching you off guard.
The delicately beautiful work of Geraldine’s Rebecca Thomson
When one considers trompe l’oeil, one might think of the Baroque period or even the Ancient Greeks. However, while this deep-rooted art technique is old, it hasn’t been relegated to the realms of history. Loosely translating to ‘deceive the eye’, trompe l’oeil is a technique that international artist Banksy has been known to apply to his large-scale murals. And in a quiet suburban street in the small town of Geraldine, another current artist, Rebecca Thomson, also applies this artistic composition to her work, although hers is in the still life tradition.
Mother, artist and teacher, Rebecca produces the most exquisitely detailed works from a tiny studio at the bottom of her garden. It’s a refreshingly unpretentious space; the door opens to a private lawn where chooks scratch and an enormous tree begs to be climbed. Without them even being there, one gets the sense this studio is always open and available to Rebecca’s children. Her work is important but so are her children.
It’s this ability to multitask at the highest level that sets Rebecca apart as an artist. With a design degree majoring in printmaking and sculpture already behind her, she continued her studies in 2000 to become a secondary school teacher. It was during this period she was told it would be impossible to teach and maintain her practice. Quietly composed, there’s an inner steel to Rebecca as she debunks this popular stereotype. ‘That’s a bit of a myth; it’s too important. I see them separately and it’s a necessary thing for me to do.’ Instead, Rebecca insists she has three strong identities: mother, artist and teacher – all equally important and all a vital element of her being. She admits it’s busy but thrives on being in a dynamic and stimulating place where it’s possible to juggle everything. Rebecca often finds herself working late into the night. ‘But it’s not tiring because it’s good busy. It feeds you.’
Not just a classroom teacher, Rebecca has the added responsibility of Head of Department of Art at Geraldine High School, a role she has held for the last eight years. What began as a one-year teaching stint out of Auckland 10 years ago has turned into a long-term role that she loves. ‘I adore teaching. It’s a real privilege to teach the subject. Art education in New Zealand is really robust.’ With teachers like Rebecca leading the way in Art, it’s easy to see why the subject is so full-bodied, particularly if they share Rebecca’s philosophy. ‘I can’t stand predetermined outcomes. It’s about challenging kids to learn about processes, but allow them to find their own way out of it. Good practice is for them to learn something new, practise it, do it.’
It would seem this is exactly what her own daughters, Tily (12) and Sepia (10) are doing. Rebecca’s open door policy to her studio means the three are often making and creating together and Rebecca enjoys seeing her younger self reflected in her children. ‘I’ve always been a maker,’ she says. ‘I’ve always been busy making things up and I’ve never been
interested in crafting things off patterns.’ This was something she took through her secondary schooling at Timaru’s
Roncalli College and into her degree. These days she defines her artistic self as a printmaker but also applies a strong sculptural element to her work. ‘The technical challenge keeps me interested as the 2D and 3D boundaries are pushed.’ It’s cross-disciplinary work that borrows from different modes, including various relief print techniques such as collagraph and monoprint, and drawing. As Rebecca says, she’s not a purist and she doesn’t stick to the rules of print.
Rebecca’s art is quiet, almost melancholic, and she is pulled to whispers of bleached and gently faded colour. There is a poignant vintage element to her art and she frequently works with objects of domestic character. Hauntingly beautiful, Rebecca’s work is detailed, often composed of domestic layers, whether it be lace, handcrafted pieces or objects that tell a story and hint at history. For Rebecca,
‘brand new isn’t necessarily the most appealing to me’. Indeed, her latest series is based around the idea of damage. As Rebecca explains, ‘Universally, as soon as something leaves its packaging, it starts to deteriorate. It’s new one minute, instantaneously old or over the next.’
Currently in the process of developing new art, Rebecca enjoys working sideways. She is comfortable where her ideas are at and doesn’t feel pressure to create new processes or cultivate fresh ideas just for the sake of it. Her art is constantly evolving but it remains identifiable and it shares a similar tone.
She may work in print, but don’t expect to find copies of Rebecca’s work. She’s not interested in doing editions and she’s not interested in being a technician for repeat sales. Instead, she’s fascinated by trompe l’oeil and the tricks she can play on the eye. It seems sacrilegious that Rebecca describes her current series as ‘increasingly munted’. Yet that’s exactly what it is: relief under glass with ‘munted bits’ escaping the page. Or are they? Are the incisions in the paper just trickery and the real story is Rebecca’s extraordinary talent?
In the meantime, one can expect Rebecca to continue to achieve the seemingly impossible by excelling in three very different roles and identifying with three robust identities. Loyally supported by Seed Gallery, the artist makes ongoing work for the Auckland-based gallery, as well as creating for a solo exhibition that is scheduled for Geraldine’s Susan Badcock Gallery later this year. Most recently, Rebecca was a finalist in the Zonta Ashburton Female Art Awards 2019, one of her alluring works showcased alongside other female artists’ from throughout the wider Canterbury area.
There’s no doubt about Rebecca’s parenting. Like their mother, her girls are quietly strong and confident, capable and creative. And the students of Geraldine High School will also enjoy the benefits of a practising artist as their teacher. Maybe it’s Rebecca’s attitude towards art that allows her to be the person she is. Maybe it extends to her complete being: ‘If you’re doing it properly and you’re making decisions, there should be some adrenalin. If you’re feeling that, that’s a good place to be.’
Her art is constantly evolving but it remains identifiable and it shares a similar tone.
View Rebecca's work in person at her solo exhibition ‘Creased’, 25 November - 15 December 2019, Susan Badcock Gallery, Geraldine.