Artist Statement

As a queer person living with disability, who has been “from away” in many places, accessibility and diversity are core values for me, especially as expressed through connection and belonging. In liminal spaces where different worlds coexist and shape each other, I am inspired by sense of place intertwined with sense of wonder, and a sense of connection with someone who also immersed themselves in that same object or place long ago, or yesterday, or tomorrow. My art is an invitation to the viewer to share in that connection.

Biography

Rebeka Darylin is an artist living and working in Murray Harbour, PEI, Canada. 

Born in Newfoundland, I moved around a lot as a young kid before settling in Charlottetown, PEI.  Upon graduating high school, I moved to Ontario, and in 2001, after a couple of years as a self-taught website designer, I enrolled in Graphic Design at St. Lawrence College (Kingston, ON). That program emphasized traditional hands-on skills and understanding of the theories behind colour and design techniques, because computer software changes so quickly but the fundamental concepts of visual communication remain the same. 

Unfortunately, chronic physical and mental health issues prevented me from completing the 3-year program, and that felt so raw that visual arts were set aside for many years. However, I explored creative writing and textile arts in the interim, and created and published original knitting patterns. 

Moving back to Epekwitk/Prince Edward Island (about 20 years later with a spouse in tow – as one does) revived my desires to express my love of this place through art. I first began landscape painting in September 2022 in acrylics, then I tried oil paint for the first time in July 2023, in the CGOS introductory class taught by Kathy Marlene Bailey.  

The theories behind indirect painting with oils mesh beautifully with my love of light and colour theory, and ignite a passion to explore how the techniques of traditional glaze oil painting can express the experience of a place.

When I am not painting, I volunteer in the Arts and Heritage sector: I served on the Board of Directors of Cape Bear Lighthouse 2020 - 2024, and I have been teaching knitting at PEI Community School since January 2023.

 

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