Capturing the true essence of the alfresco American South, Rebecca Rebouché's "The Unlikely Naturalist" collection will be on view from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00p.m. on October 13, 2012 at the Tripolo Gallery of Covington, Louisiana. The enchanting collection features 30 new paintings depicting the flora and fauna of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi in a way that acts as visual metaphors for the stories, themes and characters found in Southern Gothic Literature.
"My goal was to create a mythical world of experience and emotion, both familiar and otherworldly, in the style of the great naturalists I admire," said Rebouché as she recounts her inspiration for the creative trek through state parks, swamps, rookeries and forests along the Gulf Coast. "This was both a creative and a personal quest to wander freely, paint en plein air, sweat happily, drive alone, sleep anywhere, see further, and learn to be somewhat of an 'Unlikely Naturalist.'"
A standout piece of this collection is a 12 foot painting of an Alabama Shad on un-stretched canvas. The exaggerated scale of this small river fish becomes a metaphor for pride of place, singular ambition and the "reeling" of emotions just below the surface.
Rebouché, a native Louisianan living and working in New Orleans, creates nostalgic, emotive and whimsical art out of paint, mixed media and stitched soft sculpture; a practice best described as contemporary folk art. October 2010 marked the debut of Rebouché's product collaboration with national retailer Anthropologie. The relationship began with one original painting for the New Orleans store and has expanded to include dinnerware, scarves, bedding, wallpaper, and home accessories sold worldwide.
"Rebecca seems to have this uncanny ability to express a very personal emotion in perfect rhythm with an audience that is seeking out that very expression," says Tripolo Gallery co-owner Danny Saladino. "This synchronistic timing along with her sophisticated messages swaddled up in a child's symbolic dream completely took me by surprise the first time I saw her canvases. This show has been something I've eagerly anticipated. The resulting works are stunning, and once again the timing couldn't be more perfect."
For further information on Rebecca Rebouché and "The Unlikely Naturalist" collection, visit http://www.rebeccarebouche.com.
