I’m a painter based in the Charleston, SC area, specifically Johns Island. My main, personal work explores lesser-known aspects of anxiety. While I sometimes reference the natural environment around me, especially marshes and coastal spaces, my focus is less on place and more on internal experience.
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by the physical and psychological experiences of anxiety. It’s still a topic that’s rarely talked about. I want to help people understand they aren’t alone in their anxiety and those experiences can often be confusing.
Where does your work usually begin?
It usually starts with a feeling rather than a clear image. Sometimes that feeling connects to a place or memory, but the process is about translating something internal into something visual.
What kind of art do you like making the most?
I primarily work in oil paint, using a combination of direct alla prima painting with layered applications to build striking areas of color and depth. I enjoy working on linen more than other surfaces. It gives the right amount of tooth for the paint while providing a mostly smooth surface for detailed work.
How does living here influence your work, if it does?
The Lowcountry landscape definitely influences the visual language of some of my work. The ever-changing light and stillness of the marsh has inspired several pieces, but I’m less interested in documenting the environment and more in using it as a framework to explore internal states.
What do you think your art says about who you are?
My work is less about resolving anxiety and more about acknowledging it and making space for it. It directly expresses my formal and informal learning and experiences. On a visual level it showcases my love of control in art and life.
What do you hope people feel or think when they see your art?
I hope the work creates a sense of recognition either in themselves or people close to them. Not necessarily comfort, but a feeling of being understood. Anxiety can be difficult to articulate, so I’m interested in giving it a visual language that feels familiar.
Has someone’s reaction to your work ever surprised you?
I’m often surprised by how specifically people can connect to my work. Someone will describe a feeling or experience that closely matches what I was trying to express, even if we use different words. That kind of connection is always meaningful to me.
Recently I created a community project where several artists and people on the street painted their part of a marsh on a large piece of paper. The reactions from everyone were more interesting than the artwork. The opposite of what most would expect. People that hadn’t picked up a brush in years and some that were very afraid to make a mark. With art, there’s always something new to learn and discover.
What would you like to make next, if you could create anything you wanted?
I always have ideas floating around. I’m currently working on a couple of pieces; one that could be viewed in a controversial light. If I could do anything I’d like to lean more into the Italian Renaissance style and create a model of a reliquary. I enjoy placing importance on my subject matter.
For more information or to make a purchase, visit her Instagram at @rebeccawaechterart or her website at rmwart.com. You can email her at contact@rmwart.com.
