I am a fine artist and illustrator. Being immersed in the arts, I find myself involved in all sorts of creative endeavors. On this site, you will find my illustrations ranging from botanical art to fantasy drawings for children. My fine art can be viewed at Rebecca Shapiro Art.
I was born in Portland, OR and spent my teenage years in Houston, TX where I learned graphic design and medical illustration at the University of Texas Medical School.
I hold a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art from Smith College in Northampton, MA and was fortunate to work with noted photographer Carl Chiarenzaand printmaker Dwight Pogue.
I studied photography and printmaking at the Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and was a five time recipient of the Frank Freed Memorial Scholarship for Printmaking.
In addition, I studied for several years with figurative abstractionist, Ted Katz, in Portland, Oregon concentrating on abstract painting.
In 2010, I received a Professional Development Grant from the Regional Arts & Culture Council. And earlier in 2011, I received a Multnomah County Cultural Coalition grant on behalf of the Creative Science School where I am the Creative Arts Program Director of the Creative Arts Program, an arts integration program.
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 World Environment Day on June 5th is a global celebration empowering people to recognize their ability to affect sustainable changes and equitable development worldwide. The goal is that everyone can share and enjoy a cleaner, greener future. This year, the UN Environment Programme and TreeHugger are asking what do Forests: Nature at Your Service mean to you?
This question is timely because I was just thinking about this last week when I tried to order dammar resin (nestled in my hand below) for my encaustic painting medium. Everyone was out of stock. Encaustic is an ancient painting method that uses beeswax, dammar resin and pigments. Dammar resin is a tree sap that is harvested from coniferous and hardwood trees in Southeast and East Asia. It’s what makes the beeswax turn into a luscious painting medium that cures into a lustrous finish.
Now, I’m waiting on 22 pounds of dammar resin on backorder. When I mentioned it to some fellow artists, they also said they were having difficulty obtaining dammar and that prices are on the rise. Could the tsunamis and floods over the past few years have wiped out the forests? If the forests are in trouble, how are they being helped to recover? What if these forests can’t produce the dammar needed? Could we tap the trees in our Pacific Northwest forests? Would it work the same? It was a good reminder to be grateful for the materials I use and not take them for granted. It also has me wondering just how is the dammar harvested over in Asia? Is it sustainable? Does the industry support the communities? I’ve done some research and can’t seem to find a suitable answer.
 I switched a while ago to encaustic not only for its ethereal beauty but also because there is very little waste and most of my ingredients and supplies are found in nature. This supports my personal earth-friendly values and works well for me because nature is the source of inspiration for my artwork. It also turned me into a beekeeper plugging me further into caring for my world.
 There is a cycle of life I depend upon for my artwork and livelihood: Trees for the wood I paint on (encaustic is heavy and requires a sturdy foundation) and the paper I draw on; Bees for the wax I use in my medium (and for the honey in my tea as I paint); Nature for the plants and flowers that inspire me; Earth for the pigments in much of my medium and all the people who tend, harvest, ship and sell the materials that help me make paintings. Without this network of relationships, I wouldn’t be able to paint in this medium I love so much.
In celebration of this year’s World Environment Day, I’m creating a new series of encaustic paintings inspired by the spice markets I visited in Bali. Each painting, a study in color and smells, incorporates spices into the wax, turning my studio into an aromatic kitchen: one day cinnamon and clove, another curry and turmeric, today spicy smoked paprikas. The panels shown shown below are (L-R) La Dahlia (Smoked Spanish Paprika), Turmeric, and Clove.
  
I started working with spices because La Nina has delivered just way too much rain and grey this spring here in Portland, Oregon. I need some color and the spices have delivered! I also like working with the spices because they represent community; how we interact with one another and with nature. Mankind has been using spices for eons as currency, perfumery, aphrodisiacs, medicine, in foods, rituals and even war (although I don’t like that bit). It’s another great example of how dependent we are on one another as a global community and as caretakers of the resources, plants and animals on this earth. This is why events like World Environment Day are so important – to raise awareness and empower one another to make decisions and ask questions that will help us all share a healthier world.
So, I ask you. What will you create for World Environment Day?
photo credits: Rebecca L. Shapiro
 Through a generous grant from SE Uplift and partnerships with Montavilla Neighborhood and Business Associations, Milepost 5 and the Montavilla Farmers Market (to name a few), the Creative Science School is hosting it’s 2nd annual FREE, Montavillage Festival, a community building event between the school and surrounding Montavilla neighborhood. Lots of fun activities, food (Koi Fusion, Domo Dogs and BiPartisan pie, people!), music and lively, snappy folks will be at the school on Saturday, May 22nd from 1-4 PM at 1231 SE 92nd Ave between Division and Stark.
The Creative Arts Program (of which I am volunteer Director) will be offering a community art project called the Faces of Montavillage where visitors paint their faces on a wooden panel which will become a permanent part of the school fencing (much like some schools have painted salmon and attached them to their school fence). This literally gives a face to our community and will probably be one of the few times you have unrivaled permission to make a face and keep it that way. Portland artists, Jolie Guillebeau and Chris Haberman, both renown for their amazing art and painting a gazillion faces, will join me. So, come over and make a face!
Another Creative Arts Program will be led by Vibe of Portland instructor and PNCA grad, Leslie Tucker. Leslie is well known around the school for her beautiful mosaics. Vibe has generously donated the materials this year for everyone to mosaic some newly poured cement benches that were designed by volunteers parents from the Creative Arts Program and the Garden Group at CSS. If you’ve ever wanted to try out mosaic or love gluing little pieces in place, get over there already!
I’m really excited about these projects because they’re another way for the Creative Arts Program to offer great art but also because, as an artist, I’ve been exploring the idea of art as a social practice. I’m still learning about what it all means but I see it as the act of creating art that emphasizes people in relationship to one another and their environment and community. So, painting faces with people that get to hang in public and mosaic-ing benches that people get to share sitting on seems pretty perfect to me! I’ll be sending out more information about Montavillage as we get closer to May 22nd. Save the date!
We’ve had record rainfalls this past March and April. Everything has been so grey and wet but the plants keep doing their thing. They’re still blooming and making gorgeous shapes and colors. I’m so happy today is May Day!
Just to bring a little color and light into the studio, I picked some magnolia soulangiana (l) and skimmia (bottom) last week. Then they wanted to be painted (they told me). These are paintings but I also used wax crayons to add shading and a few details. I also carved highlights into the magnolia petals, scraping back the darker pink to reveal more white. I like that effect better than painting in highlights. I might add a little more highlights to the skimmia…but they’re almost done. I really like using the wax crayons to mix things up a bit.
 First Bloom I’ve had dear friends die from HIV/AIDS and beloved family members who live with this disease so I’m very pleased to be included again in this year’s Cascade Aids Project Art Evening & Auction.
My painting, First Bloom, will be up for bid in the silent auction on Saturday, April 30th.
Over the years CAP’s art show has brought together over 1000 artists, galleries, patrons and community leaders to raise much-needed funds for the programs and services CAP provides to those with HIV/AIDS.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Cap Art Auction. I hope you’ll join me!
My encaustic paintings and illustrations can now be purchased through DragonFire Studio and Gallery in Cannon Beach, Oregon at 123 S. Hemlock Street (503-436-1533).
One of the largest and most diverse galleries in Oregon, the welcoming space is known for its relaxed ambiance, vivid colors and unique vision. Contemporary art lovers and critics call DragonFire “a feast for your senses.”
I found the owner, Eeva Lantela and her staff to be knowledgeable, friendly and supportive of the artists they represent as well as the collectors they help in building cornerstone pieces for their collections or simply finding a unique piece to commemorate a special weekend.
For the past several months, I’ve been participating in the Artist as Educator training program at the Portland Children’s Museum. As part of the current Curious George exhibit, artists from the program were asked to demonstrate their art form in The Studio this past weekend. I decided to demo encaustic (painting with molten wax).
This went over well with the parents and museum staff but my true audience were the under 5 gang…tough crowd. They weren’t about to stand by and watch some lady make art with pretty hot wax and fire. After one tyke cracked the dammar crystal sample and took off with a piece (I’m sure he was good and sticky by the time he got home), another little gal dove under the safety barrier and made a beeline for my hot wax in 2 seconds flat (she stopped in her tracks when I said HOT), and a third little guy took a bite out of my clear beeswax, I decided to shift gears.
Instead of making my own art, I repainted a few boards white and gave the kids a chance to make some art. They couldn’t take their drawings home and they had to share (which did cause a few near melt downs) but they were able to experience the warm wax, smell the wax, tell me about honey bees and color with beeswax crayons on a waxy surface.
I was amazed at how much they enjoyed the medium. Of course, I have yet to see a small child not love making marks (remember drawing on your walls? fun!). But, there was something about introducing these children to something so new they hadn’t experienced it yet. And their marks were absolutely gorgeous!
Picasso once said All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. He really believed that all children were genius when it comes to art. I believe that, too.
The other thing that really stood out when I handed over the wax in their tiny little paws was how deeply and quickly they immersed themselves in making art. I had a 21 month old little girl stand and draw for a good 5 to 8 minutes, leaving really happy with herself. Truly, it is just another testimony to why children should have as much great art as tasty food and fresh air and good friends.
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