Rebecca Holmes | Kingdoms

We welcome one of our own to the Print Room this autumn with Rebecca Holmes’s debut solo show with Eames Fine Art. Regulars at our galleries and Collectors’ Studio will already be well acquainted with Rebecca as an articulate, passionate and persuasive advocate for the work of other artists, so there is an understandable sense of anticipation for this show. We are all excited to see what Rebecca has in store for us.

Kingdoms brings together a rich array of works distilled from over four years of focussed creative exploration. Drawing, photopolymer etching, linocut, silkscreen and monotype are all represented and reflect the multi-disciplinary nature of Rebecca’s Fine Art training at Loughborough University. This gives the first hint as to what we can expect in the show – a bringing together of different strands of making that provides and then sustains a creative impulse. Rebecca is a process driven artist who, in common with many of the printmakers we admire at Eames Fine Art, allows an image to evolve in the making rather than starting with a firmly pre-conceived idea of the end result. This is an exciting way to work but it can be a high-wire act and requires confidence and technical skill. There is plenty of this on display here and Kingdoms is a remarkably assured debut offering from an artist who clearly knows her way around a print studio and is able to produce compelling results from a myriad of demanding technical processes. This provides a solid foundation for experimentation and the scope to construct images from a variety of techniques. Rebecca’s work often requires a sophisticated compilation of variations that are then edited back to achieve the final result. Occasionally, Rebecca will submit trial proofs to ‘peer review’ on Instagram to gauge reaction. This should not be mistaken for a lack of artistic confidence, but rather a genuine desire to share the excitement of the creative process and forge a connection with her audience. It is a generous approach that has already nurtured a considerable following for her work over a few short years.