Biography
Rebecca Allen (married name 'Hillman'); Ok so I didn’t do an art degree, but then neither did Van Gogh! Once I discovered that, and the fact, and that he didn’t even start painting until he was 30 he became one of my idols. What I did have were two parents who both attended art school. I thought until recently that all children did art and crafts as part of their everyday home life. One of my earliest memories is the smell of brightly coloured paint and the image of it glooping off my sodden paintbrush and making the paper on the easel go all bumpy because I put too much paint on! I grew up immersed in art and crafts of all types. Oil painting, poetry and pottery by my Father. Watercolour painting, knitting, crochet, clothes making and quilt making were my Mothers forte. I dabbled in all of these, quite often when they weren’t looking, and then blamed it on the cat!
When I left school I still loved art but my parents warned me about how difficult it would be to earn a living as an artist. I also had a passion for the environment, and so I eagerly set off ‘across the water‘ (to the UK) and waded about in muddy estuaries taking samples on an Environmental Science degree, which I followed with an MSc in Marine Science. During those years I took various evening classes in ceramics, an activity which left me looking like I had again been wading around in more muddy estuaries … and photography. With my education I took work in Marine Science for a few years and then moved to Research Support. During my time working and studying it was always the aesthetic impact of the environment that struck me, and I felt continuously compelled to study my surroundings in more depth than just scientific notations. I continued to photograph, sketch, draw, and paint. When I was left some inheritance by my Father I decided to ditch my full time permanent contract pensionable job, and go to art college where I did one year. I knew at the time I would not complete the year as I was busy myself completing the gestation of my first beloved child! I just knew it was time to take the plunge and make the change. 6 months after her birth we moved back to rural Ireland from the UK, where I had studied, lived and worked for 10 years. I got out my pencils, paints and sketchbooks. I began to design soft sculptural pieces which I created by hand felting marino sheeps fleece. I will very soon get some examples of my wading birds, fish and bowls into the on-line photo albums. More recently I have been drawing again and designing some rag dolls and fabric teddies.
The purpose of this blog is to follow my daily sources of inspiration for my craft work so that you can see them from the first seed of thought, through to sketches, work in progress and then the final product. If you like what you see, there will probably be an opportunity to also buy my work!
Understand that this seemingly romantic and unflawed process is actually performed amidst the total chaos of my life which I love and would not change. A full time mother of two small children aged 2 and 4. A husband in the first year of setting up his own craft business. A garden that insists on doing its best to turn into a jungle (or the nearest equivalent to a jungle you can get in rainy Ireland!). A vegetable patch that cries out for weeding. A charming old house that requires renovation and decoration in our ‘spare’ time. Our commitment to live life in an eco-conscious manner. A loyal dog that deserves a good walk every day. All these things make for an interesting and challenging workplace in which I have to carve out some time and space for my craftwork.
Ps my parents were right about it being difficult to make a living at art, but we have never been happier.
Interests
Things that make me smile or give me a buzz in no particular order of preference. The ocean, sunny days, jasmine, Taoist tai chi, wild strawberries, my childrens laughter, my tin whistle, walking in the countryside, the smell of rain on parched earth, nori rolls by Eloise, woolly jumpers, Corsica, ‘Moose’ our chocolate Labrador, guests, orchards, chocolate truffles, conkers, clay, old Irish dressers, blue bells, hand knit socks, cooking for friends, childrens frocks, snowdrops, doing cartwheels, felting, sewing, organic roast chicken, new haircuts, parma ham, lichen, Leitrim, friends and family, spinning wheels, the local market, gardens, my neighbours, antique rugs, climbing trees, Vera, photo albums, Van Gogh, fabric, threads, ribbons, memories of my Mother, Rossinver Organic Centre, Wanderly Wagon, fabric paint, picnics, lip gloss, flying swans, being pregnant, birth, motherhood, rainbows, memories of my Father, etchings, Karen Millen dresses in the sales, the dawn chorus, mayflies, dragonflies, woodland walks, solar panels, compost friendly eco nappies, snow flakes, daisy chains, unwrapping presents, making art, Dans smile, butterflies, snowdrops, toasted marshmallows, camp fires, camping, haystacks, chickens, baking flapjacks, uninterrupted sleep, kites, salsa, samba, magnolia trees, the smell of horses, putting up the Christmas tree, wild black berries, home made elderflower cordial, Glencolmcille, grandfather clocks, ivy, stone walls, waves, Virginia creeper, sweet pea, earthing out my first potatoes.
