Excerpts from sketchbooks, life drawing classes + final exhibited pieces

A COLLECTION

Depictions of the human body, intimacy, mythology and connection to the land are spoken through the works: each crafted by hand, some from observation, some inspired by legend, others dreamed up – each a unique creative expression.  

YO SOY LO QUE VEO | solo exhibition

Guadalajara, Mexico, 2014

| “Drawing is a form of thinking and for this reason drawing is the most direct and revealing expression of the intellectual processes of an artist, their intensions, their emotional state.  Often, the preparatory drafts are more expressive than finished works due to their execution.  In the case of Rebecca Bewick, her drawings are her finished works that, on one hand, demonstrate a mastery of traditional techniques… Rebecca Bewick’s art has been enriched by her experience in tierras tapatías, as Guadalajara has been enriched by the presence of artists like her…”

– Jose Clemente Orozco F. 

ANIMAL | life drawing studies

MYTHOLOGY | sketches, collage + hand-stitched books

THE GIFT

| gouache and ink on handmade paper, hand-stitched pages, with linen cover adorned with pulled thread embroidery. Accompanied by Pounamu / greenstone and silk linen drawstring bag.

A tale of Taniwha has been passed down by generations. Ngāi Tahu children grew up learning how this legend shaped the natural environment, and why we cherish and protect our resources today. 

The Toki (adze) shaped Pounamu | Traditionally a carving tool and weapon and a Taonga (treasure) representing strength, determination and courage. This sacred Pounamu was hand-carved in the West Coast – Te Tai o Poutini – in the South Island by once-prisoners. When released and out of a trade, they are taught the art of carving greenstone, earning them a livelihood and as a means of rehabilitation. They belong to a co-operative supported in a long-term partnership with New Zealand social enterprise, Trade Aid. 

SADHU