Artist Statement and Bio

Artist Statement

The work I am currently making is drawn from shapes of landforms in atlases. More specifically they are a mash-up of shapes that were once political boundaries, natural landforms, topographic markings, and representations of lakes, rivers and roads. As I look at the maps, I draw with no real sense of direction and build up compositions as I go. The purpose to invent new imaginative, and playful forms. Let the viewer explore.

Where does this come from? I can't be exactly sure where all this originated but I remember being fascinated by maps. I would try to imagine what the places were like. Furthermore, my real first tastes of freedom and independence came from getting on my bike and exploring the backroads around the town I grew up in. Most of the area was farmland and I loved seeing where the roads ended up. I would get out maps and try to plot out rides. I typically did this without my parent's permission. I suppose it was some "light" rebellion. At the same time, I just enjoyed going to new places and travel.

I suffer from perpetual wanderlust that is never fulfilled. I can't do it in my real life so I suppose I do it though my work.

Artist Bio

Rebecca Eilering currently works and resides in Collinsville, Illinois. She earned a BFA degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2001. Then she earned a MFA degree from Onio University in 2005. She specialized in printmaking at university but currently works mostly with drawing and painting. In addition, she is exploring use of digital graphics and video too.

Random stuff - likes watching independent, classic, and foreign films, playing ukulele, reading, writing (but badly), listening to music, exploring outdoors, travel (never get to do much though), going on early morning walks/jogs, and collecting Legos - specifically Lego Architecture series. She works as a graphic/web designer to fund the making of her art and pay bills.

I also have a little blog on Tumblr where I write about stuff that interests me - movies, music, and art mostly. It is called Junk Assessments. Check it out.