Rebecca Haines 

"Animals resonate with my core, and I am impressed upon by them - by their presence, their appearance, their mystery and message. Like attracting like. Throughout all of recorded time, humans have depicted animals in their art. They help us relate to our world, often acting as intermediaries between the civilized and the wild, between the known and the mysterious. Animals are a link to the sacredness of all that is." (Read more below)

"Humans are endless noise makers. We talk on and on without listening. Really listening. Animals listen. They watch. They see and hear everything. They carry this wisdom of seeing and hearing within them. They embody it. This is a most magical and alluring quality to me. To observe it is like a portal into another world - another way of being. Quieter. So very alive, aware, and full of wonder. We can learn from the animals if we pay attention. Life can be endlessly magical, if we pay attention. I am here to learn from the creatures and to allow others to see what I see by attempting to recreate these exquisite moments of transcendent awareness and wonder through my paintings."

From her first love of creating photo-realistic human portraits, Rebecca has since developed a passion for portraying the wild creatures in a more unique and personalized style. While maintaining a strong and accurate suggestion of form and likeness, her palette and mark-making choices now venture into a more abstract dimension which allows for a connection to something larger than just the realistic portrayal of an animal's shell.

Rebecca was born in Wyoming with a vast array of creatures to inspire her. She started drawing as soon as she could hold a pencil but didn't begin with animals until around the age of 30. Up until that time, she drew people, primarily faces, perfecting her skills to the point where she could create astonishing photo-realistic portraits. While pursuing her fine art degree in Denver, Rebecca began working at a Southwestern/Native American art gallery where she would become Gallery Director upon graduation and work (and sell her own paintings) for the next seven years. A friend lent her a book about the spiritual nature of animals and our connection to them. That book inspired her to start experimenting with animal imagery and exploring the diverse cultural associations attributed to creatures since the beginning of time. Rebecca went on to manage a Native-owned art gallery in Berkeley, CA and after immersing herself in this rich culture for many years and soaking up the both playful and sacred animal stories of peoples all over the world, she was hooked. Many of her images come from animal dreams where the creatures visit her. She believes that they have messages for us, lessons to teach, and that she is being asked to communicate this through her paintings. The more she honors these beings, the more they come to her in dreams. They stir a magical world within her that reveals to her eye a more mystical, magical world on the outside as well.

Rebecca mixes oil paint and china markers (grease pencils) on her wooden surfaces. She prefers the strength and feel of the wood over paper or canvas. She begins with an image in mind and then follows where it leads, allowing the essence, or true spirit of the animal, to emerge now rather than confining it to its physical attributes alone. Often her pieces suggest a story or fable that may include a trickster of sorts or spirits that are part creature and part human.