Hannah Abraham 1

An interview with: Rebecca Hillis, Artist Behind the walls of an ordinary sub-urban home in the rural city of Wagga Wagga, lies a vibrant woman who makes her career from all things creative. A ‘Jack of all arts’, Rebecca Hillis describes herself as “just a mum who found herself”. Since her late start as an artist just four years ago, Rebecca has excelled in the art world, winning many competitions and holding multiple solo exhibitions in mediums including painting, sculpture, millinery, and body art, on a local and national scale. I met with Rebecca at her studio in Kooringal where she let me delve into her vibrant world of creativity and artistic flow. Have you always been an artist? What inspired you to make a career from your art? Well I’ve always been creative, my parents are both creative, my mum is a photographer and artist, and dad is a jeweler. I was always creative at school but found that there where too many boundaries and rules to follow, so never really followed it as a career path. But then a couple o years ago I had a bit of a mid life crisis and started questioning myself, and my life, and the direction I had taken. So a few people suggested to me that I should go back to art, and that that is what I should be doing. So I started drawing and uploading my sketches to Facebook. After a while people started asking to buy the work I had displayed, just local people and family friends at first. Then it really kicked off when I went on ‘Deal or No Deal’, I only won $20 but I started talking about my work and promoting my website, and the amount of feedback I got was amazing! Where do you draw your inspiration? Well this sound strange, but I’m obsessed with women and breasts. The beautiful female form never fails to inspire me. Who are you trying to reach with your work? What is your message? Well my work sells mostly to women between the ages of 28 and 50. I always think of my art as “girl art”. It comes from me, it is me. And I find that the people who like my work are like-minded to me. What are you working on at the moment? I always have several projects going on at once, because I get bored easily so I like to switch mediums and mix things up. At the moment I’m working mostly in millinery, which is hat making. My designs are dramatic and out there, real over the top race wear. I have started a brand named “Ostentatious” where I sell one of a kind millinery designs by Rebecca Hillis, they all have little unique details. You work in a lot of different mediums. Do you have a favourite? I go through lots of phases where I favour a medium in particular, but I always love mixed media. I love working on paper. Paper is so quick, and its not precious. If you muck up a design on paper you can just scrap it and move on, whereas if you’re working on canvas there is always the knowledge of how much it cost in the back of your mind. Paper makes me feel free. I also love to paint in oils, the texture and thickness of oil paints draws me in. I love that you can mix a colour and go back to it days later. What are your aspirations for the future? It’s a big dream, but I want to win an Archibald [laughs]. I believe you should always think big, and stay true to yourself. The art world can be bait snobby, so you have to be careful that you don't become too commercialized. I would also love to design a float of headwear for Mardi Gras. And I would like to do all this while remembering to feed the kids! Who inspires you? My mum and my grandmother, they are very passionate creative women who I have always looked up to. Picasso is my favourite master. I also really like Ben Quilty, last years winner of the Archibald Prize. We have similar painting styles; I find I can relate to him and his work. What has been the highlight of your career so far? Probably the Body Canvas competition last year, raising money for the Breast Cancer Foundation. It’s amazing to be creating in a room with hundreds of other artists, immersed in creativity. It was some of the most amazing work I have ever seen, and an amazing feeling to be surrounded by so much talent and still place third. Also when I was commissioned to paint for Richard Branson. That was cool. It’s really all the little things that that count in your career, going from one small high to the next and enjoying every achievement as they come.

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