Rebecca Feneley is an Illustrator, Artist & Muralist combining luxurious decorative art with storytelling. Working with traditional painting and digital illustration, Rebecca has worked with local and leading global brands, organisations and publications to work and exhibit both locally and internationally since 2015.

Can  you tell us a bit about your practice as a visual artist?

My practice is first and foremost as an Illustrator, but extends across a range of applications and mediums from murals to painting to live sketching. As an artist, I try to capture moments of joy and serenity that mirror my own experiences, to encourage us to appreciate the magic found in everyday life.

Why do you create?

My work is a form of escapism and personal learning, I often use it to reflect on personal experiences and sometimes as a form of mindfulness to get out of my head and into my body. Its focus is to explore the connection between feminine energy and nature, the constant tension held as a woman between fear and peace, joy & sadness, vulnerability and freedom. My goal as a muralist is to bring art & illustration out of the gallery and into the public realm, to create uplifting work that celebrates our local spaces and promotes a sense of local pride.

How has the UNBOUND development and mentoring programme, about creating art for public spaces, impacted your own outlook and your creativity?

The programme has really made me reframe how I see public art, not just in terms of design processes but also on a personal level. I realised every piece of public art is someone’s story and reflection of the world, whether it’s something I personally enjoy or not. It also gave me a huge appreciation of how many people’s thoughts and ideas go into each piece of art, to create something that can be shared by a community on a personal level. It’s definitely changed how I think about designing my own work as a muralist going forwards into the public realm!

What are your future aspirations as a visual artist and have you got anything coming up you’d like to share?

Where do I begin! A big project this year is to work with a local stained glass artist to collaborate on a future exhibition, which we have already had some initial chats about. My first (!) solo exhibition is coming up on February 1st at the Danum Gallery in Doncaster, and I’m also looking forward to installing a new mural at the Doncaster Ukrainian Centre.