The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

USING her love for painting as an escape to relax, Rebecca Armbrister said art is cathartic when she does not over think it.

Since her high school days, Rebecca has had an interest in art. Even still, she never considered pursuing art in university.

“I definitely wish I did now but you can’t change the past. I painted off and on but remained uninspired for years. After returning to the Bahamas full time in 2008 I began painting again, this time with a focus on silk painting. Somehow silk painting stirred something in me and I found myself inspired and ready to start exploring other mediums again,” said Rebecca.

Her recent focus has been on abstract designs and fashion illustration, and she is finding a way to merge the two. Additionally, she paints island inspired art for children and illustrations for children’s books.

Her fun, island inspired children’s prints called “Little Island Kids” started as a result of a request from a friend, said Rebecca.

“I was asked to paint something for a little girl’s nursery. I went with a cartoon feel and it was fun to do something so different,” she said.

One request lead to another and before she knew it, Rebecca had a new project creating island inspired children’s artwork, now being sold in stores throughout the Bahamas.

Due to contacts she made through this project, Rebecca said she had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer Stack, a Bahamian children’s author. Rebecca illustrated Jennifer’s first book, “The Adventures of Flip and Flop: Sole Survivors”. So far, she said, the book has been very well received. There are seven more books in the series yet to come.

“I have been painting for as long as I can remember but the first time I began showing my work publicly was about a year ago,” said Rebecca.

She noted that one of the benefits that can be obtained from the art field is being able to appreciate the work and ideas of others. To create a piece, Rebecca said she believes that you must also put a bit of yourself out there.

“You place a little of what you feel, think, believe or simply what you find aesthetically pleasing out there. The fact that someone has dared or even bothered to do this, I believe, is something to appreciate. This is what I love about any art form. Someone is giving something of themselves and that is something to be appreciated even if you do not necessarily like it or get it. I think you will find that the ability to appreciate the efforts and creations of others is an attribute that most who participate in the arts posses,” said Rebecca.

Being the daughter of Bahamian/American architect/artist Reginald Armbrister, Rebecca said she has always been surrounded by art and many other artists.

“I have always been able to watch people create; turn a blank canvas into something beautiful and amazing; turn an empty lot into a home. I loved to watch my father work and I loved watching his friends and colleagues work. My childhood was spent in galleries, museums, art studios and exhibitions. Our home was always full of books and magazines on art and design and I spent hours with my nose buried deep in them,” said Rebecca.

Rebecca was born in Washington DC, and with her parents she moved to eastern New Providence at the age of 5.

“There were many trips back and forth to DC during my childhood and I have countless childhood memories from life there so I am definitely influenced by my history with that city, but the Bahamas is home,” said Rebecca.

Now in her early thirties, Rebecca said she is changing and growing all the time.

“I am still trying to figure out who I really am and I am enjoying the journey but it is a work in progress. There is no one moment that can capture that. A moment is over in the blink of an eye and by the time it has passed I have already become something a little different,” said Rebecca.