Rebecca Youssef
Santa Monica, CA
Galvanized by the sustainability movement to protect our planet, my work finds a home in the space where art and environmentalism collide.
MessageRebecca Youssef is a Los Angeles-based mixed media artist who was raised on the north shore of O’ahu, Hawaii. Galvanized by the sustainability movement to protect our planet, her work gives new life to discarded paper, boxes and bags by immortalizing them in art that honors their journey from tree to canvas. Rebecca employs a broad range of sustainable practices and natural materials alongside gestural mark-making and subtle planes of color to create mixed media works as an Eco Artist.
Rebecca received her BFA from the University of Arizona in Tucson and then moved to Los Angeles to pursue her MA in Art Education at Loyola Marymount University. Following graduate school, Rebecca taught art at various schools across Los Angeles. Currently, she is an artist-in-residence at the 18th Street @ The Airport art complex in Santa Monica, California.
Statement
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had my hands in either dirt or paint. I carry a deep respect for wild, untouched lands and hand-crafted art. Galvanized by the sustainability movement to protect our planet, my work finds a home in the space where art and environmentalism collide. Whether it’s painting on paper I made by hand or on recycled grocery bags, I tell a story through rich, organic colors and gestural mark-making foraged from my outdoor adventures.
The raw beauty of the American Southwest- the coasts, the mountains and the desert- presents itself in my work, oftentimes subconsciously. My work pays homage to the natural beauty of this great land I am surrounded by.
Through my commitment to a creative consciousness, I am guided towards a more sustainable art practice. When I’m not in the studio, I have my hands in either paper pulp or soil or I’m out working on my native tree reforestation project in the Santa Monica Mountains around Los Angeles.
All content © Rebecca Youssef 2021. Please do not reproduce without expressed written consent.