Rebecca Feneley (UNBOUND)
We’re pleased to share with you more of the UNBOUND artist cohort.
UNBOUND is an
artist training & mentoring development programme for Wakefield/ West Yorkshire based artists seeking to develop their practice to deliver artworks in public spaces, which is delivered by BEAM and ourselves at YVAN. It’s part of Our Year, and is funded by Wakefield Council, Cultural Development Fund and West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Introducing Rebecca Feneley - 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.
“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. ”
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.
“ In 2022 I joined Doncaster Creative Network in my hometown, and it changed my life. I had always been isolated as an artist growing up in Doncaster, this for the first time provided me with a community of amazing, local creative people who shared my energy and interests.”
Do you consider yourself to be part of an artist network/community, and if so, how does this impact your practice?
Absolutely. In 2022 I joined Doncaster Creative Network in my hometown, and it changed my life. I had always been isolated as an artist growing up in Doncaster, this for the first time provided me with a community of amazing, local creative people who shared my energy and interests. Along with my now good friend Natasha Clark, who founded DCN, this has been a huge part of inspiring new work, reflecting on projects and ideas, collaborating and generally improving my mental health massively. I owe a lot to this community.
What changes would you like to see in the arts sector?
I’d like to see an improvement in accessibility to the arts (training, exhibiting, networking), but especially arts funding. For many artists, applications for projects and grants are hugely complicated, academic and traditional. This is the opposite of how artists work, and with many creatives (including myself) being neurodivergent, having disabilities such as dyslexia and generally thinking differently to non-creatives, I would like to see more organisations improve their application processes to make this easier, simpler and faster for creatives to get onto projects.
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 someones 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! There are so many projects I’d love to work on, but a big one 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 forwards to installing a new mural at the Doncaster Ukranian Centre this January. it's hopefully going to be a very exciting year!
Links:
Instagram: @rebeccafeneley
Facebook: @rebeccafeneleystudio
Tik Tok: @rebecca_feneley
UNBOUND is part of Our Year, and is funded by Wakefield Council, Cultural Development Fund and West Yorkshire Combined Authority.