Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Skinner.
Rebecca, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
My interest in photography started when I was a child. My grandmother lets me use her Polaroid to use on my father’s farm. At the age of 17, I moved to North Carolina where I learned how to print. I worked in one of the largest custom print labs on the east coast, assisted many photographers and took in as much knowledge on photography that I could.
I moved back to Boston in 2010 and continued printing and dabbling in all areas of photography. I started my own business in photography in 2005. It wasn’t until I went to Rhode Island School of Design in 2007-2010 that I focused heavily on photography as an art form. I have been working hard at producing compelling images since.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I shoot mostly digital, and the theme of my recent work is “all things abandoned”, including subjects such as abandoned mills, factories, and junkyards.
Exploring abandoned spaces is exciting and interesting, as I never know what will be around the corner! I see plenty of majesty and drama and beauty, but often needless waste and neglect as well. These places are filled with items that have been left behind and forgotten — an abandoned china factory filled with China still in its shipping crate, or a silk mill filled with machines sitting idle waiting for one more run.
I see life “find a way”, creeping thru cracks in concrete or pushing through gaps between floorboards. Nature is powerful and will invade even the darkest corner of an abandoned space. My work is a balance of color and black & white images, and I tend to avoid all forms of digital manipulation. My process mirrors what you would see in a traditional darkroom.
When on location, I do not stage photographs or otherwise disrupt or change a location in any way. I leave no trace. I try to bring order to the chaos of these places by thoughtfully constructing my images for a dramatic, clean, and direct feel.
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
Being an artist is a struggle. There are a lot of us out there! My own work has been selling more steadily the past few years. It has taken a lot of drive to get where I am with my work. I believe if you are passionate and willing to learn you can succeed. Rhode Island no longer taxes the sales of artwork. I think that would be a great benefit to Boston artists.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I am a core artist member of the Fountain Street Gallery in Boston. where I have an upcoming exhibit “Transient” in May. My studio space is at the Mill Contemporary Art Gallery/ Studios in Building 1 of the Saxonville Mills in Framingham. My website has a complete listing of current exhibitions and locations that carry my work.
Contact Info:
- Address: 11 Juniper Road Franklin, MA 02038
- Website: www.skinnerphoto.com
- Phone: 774-571-1486
- Email: rs@skinnerphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rsskinner/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkinnerPhoto/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/RSkinnerPhoto
Image Credit:
Kim Weinick
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