Rebecca Watkins is an artist who currently lives in Manteo, North Carolina.  Her artwork can be found on display at the Dare Arts Gallery in downtown Manteo.  She grew up in Indiana and moved to Rocky Mount, North Carolina after graduating from Wake Forest University.  She spent over 20 years employed as a Spanish teacher and high school principal in Rocky Mount, NC, before retiring and moving to the coast in 2021.  

 

Rebecca's earliest memories of art include her childhood excitement at receiving a new coloring book.  Instead of coloring the pages, though, she drew her own pictures on the blank page behind the cover.  Her love for art blossomed as she took formal drawing and painting courses throughout high school in Indianapolis, Indiana.  In college, she continued to take art classes and added a studio art minor to her Spanish and education degrees from Wake Forest University (B.A.) and NC State (M.S.A.). 

 

Rebecca's love of teaching Spanish allowed her the opportunity to travel throughout Latin America where she was also inspired by the bright and bold colors of Hispanic artists and artisans.  That inspiration can be seen in the bright colors and bold brush strokes she uses in her paintings.  Her paintings can be described as contemporary impressionism, but she isn’t afraid to mix styles and techniques as her goal is to continue to grow artistically.

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Rebecca has sold her work across the United States.  In 2020, she won the Acquisition Award ward for her painting, "Tobacco Hanging," in the National Juried Art Exhibition at the Maria V. Howard Arts Centre.  She also was honored to host a solo show in 2022 at the Imperial Centre in Rocky Mount, NC, where she exhibited paintings and photographs from her "Red Bandana Series."  In addition, she continues to sell paintings through the Bel Air Art Center and the Tar River Arts Collaborative in Rocky Mount, NC, as well as the Dare Arts Gallery in Manteo, NC.

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Rebecca helped found the Tar River Arts Collaborative in 2021 and continues to act as the Business Manager for the organization.

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