Rebecca Smallridge is a visual artist working from her home studio in Ōtautahi, Aotearoa. In 2021, she received a Master of Arts with distinction under the supervision of Ara Creative Industries – a further extension to her Bachelor of Design Visual Arts which she gained in 2009.

Rebecca has an active exhibition practice both locally and internationally, having been involved in both solo and group shows since 2007. In 2009, she was the first prize recipient of the Mortlock McCormack Law Art Award, and in 2020, was a finalist in the Zonta Female Art Awards. Her paintings, woodblock prints, and ceramics are held in public and private collections throughout Aotearoa and abroad.

Speaking of her art practice, she says, “My paintings explore the inherent beauty and ecological value of wild places, whilst examining the connections within nature and humanity’s vital role of land stewardship.  I begin by creating puddles of wet on wet paint, ink, and natural pigments on the floor, which are later overlaid with botanical shadows and observational drawings. Imagined biospheres blur the seen and unseen to visually capture the mauri or life force present in Aotearoa’s indigenous ngahere – the forest.”