Rebecca Latham -Watercolor Wildlife Artist

With support from her parents, Rebecca chose to focus her future as a painter in her mid teens. After studying many mediums and styles of painting and sculpture, she now works primarily in watercolour in a traditional Flemish style. She particularly enjoys painting small & miniature works. Rebecca is a signature member of the Society of Animal Artists as well as several international miniature art societies. Rebecca's primary goal is to use her work to help the creatures she paints as well as their habitat. She often participates in many wildlife and habitat conservation fundraising events to raise funds and awareness.

 

How long have you been painting?
I have been painting professionally for about 13 years.

What advise would you give to a beginner painter in wildlife?
Don't give up. Practice a lot and don't be too hard on yourself. The more you work, the better you'll get, so don't get discouraged if the painting you're working on right now isn't coming out right. Get someone to give you an honest critique of your work -- often someone else can pick out exactly what's bothering you. Read as many books about painting as you can. Make sure you get your own references and get out to see the subject you're painting.

You paint mostly in Watercolor? What do you like about this medium?
I paint nearly exclusively in watercolor. I like the vibrant color I can get in watercolor as well as the ease in blending subtle tones. It also dries quickly so I can keep working.

Having a few artists in the house, do you give each other synergy and encouragement? Also, do you exchange inspirations and techniques among yourselves?
We share everything and often finish each other's sentences. I think the closeness and support of our family is what has helped us to accomplish as much as we have. It is a very encouraging and creative atmosphere in our studio. Everyone is working toward the same goal, sharing ideas, and even suggesting a reference or new paint for others to use.

You come from a family of painters who also paint wildlife. Why did you choose to paint wildlife subjects rather than still life or portraits for example?
Earlier I did paint other subjects such as still life, portraits, and architecture. I suppose, if a subject inspired me, I would not be against painting a few of them now.

I paint wildlife primarily because I care deeply about animals and the environment. They are what inspires me to paint. When I work on a painting, I try to bring out the magic I see so that others can see it too. If I can help others see this beauty, it can only strengthen their love of nature and their desire to protect it.

What made you start painting in miniature?
I started painting in miniature because of a lack of time to paint. My family owned and operated an art gallery for many years. We sold art supplies, picture framing, and taught art classes there (until 2001 when we closed the gallery and decided to paint as full time artists). Doing all of this all day long became very tiresome, so finding time to paint larger work was impossible. My mom, Karen, has painted miniatures since 1992 and done well with them, so I decided to make a few of them and show them in some of the miniature exhibitions I found on the internet. The paintings did fairly well in the shows. I was able to expand my resume, and the pieces sold, helping me to expand my collector base.

I also like working in miniature because they allowed me to learn and develop a recognizable style quickly, simply because they allowed me to get more paintings finished. Where a large painting may drag along, a smaller piece can be completed faster and any changes in the painting are not so difficult to make. Many collectors have also impulse bought a miniature, but had to think about buying a larger painting. There are also a lot of "miniature" shows out there to exhibit in -- making it easier to connect with collectors and give artwork exposure to areas that otherwise would not have been able to.

Generally, how long does a miniature painting takes you to a. research/prepare? b. paint?
a. Research for a miniature takes about as long as for a larger painting. One advantage of smaller paintings is that you don't need to have nearly as much reference as for a larger painting.
b. If they are simple (and everything goes smoothly), I can paint several miniatures in a day. If they have a lot of background in them, it will take 2 to 3 days.

You are represented in many Galleries, how much of your time is spent painting to supply the demand for your work for these establishments?
There has to be a balance of pieces for galleries as well as shows. Shows keep your presence out there -- showing that you are active. Galleries, the good ones anyway, act like an agent -- marketing your work to their base of clients. I could easily send every painting I make to one of my galleries, a situation that is very nice, but that also keeps me very busy. I try to have a selection of fresh pieces for each gallery -- a balance of subjects and sizes. I take into consideration what the gallery requests or suggests as far as subject matter or size on behalf of their clients as well as how many pieces they ask for.

What would you say to an artist wanting to get their work into a Gallery?
Build your resume and market your work everywhere you can. A gallery has a lot to do and often is approached by a lot of artists. They will be more likely to take you on if you are fairly well known and easy to market and sell. Be polite, easy to work with, and take their advice where you can -- they probably know their clients better than you do.

Lastly, be cautious. Find out about the gallery before you agree to be represented by them. Find out how other artists are treated in the gallery, how quickly they're paid, and how the gallery treats their clients. You can't always have the perfect situation, but if you will be treated badly and not paid, being in the gallery will not help you very much -- no matter what gallery it is. My gallery in Jackson likes to say "Happy artists paint better" -- and they're right.
    

You paint in studio from photographs you have taken. How long do you spend out on location researching your subjects/animals?
Sometimes we go on two or three week trips to gather reference, but we primarily take a few days here or there to shoot references. Often we try to include these trips with a show to make our time spent more efficient. Fresh reference means fresher work. If I were to work from the same reference shoot, my paintings will look the same, so you can never really have too much reference.

Your work has been in many exhibitions. Can you tell us how you prepare for a show and how much work is involved?
There are several types of exhibitions, and some are easier than others. Some shows may only require an artist to send one painting -- in which case all I have to do is paint the single painting and send it off. For some you are required to fill a certain space or create a certain number of pieces and occasionally are requested to attend. For these shows, I try to have a selection of subjects that will balance well and that I think will appeal to the area where the show is held. Lastly, there are the shows where the artist is assigned a booth and is often required to attend. For these, we simply try to have a selection of everything. I try to have a selection of new original paintings and new prints released.

How do you keep yourself motivated to paint?
Motivation comes easier when you have demand for your work. It means collectors like what they see. We are blessed with wonderful galleries that represent my family and I -- they offer a lot of encouragement and feedback from their gallery visitors. Both the galleries and my collectors are always eager to see my new work which gives me a little more energy to paint. I also try to have regular reference shoots. When I am able to get out and observe subjects to paint, I can visualize and get inspired to make new paintings.

What would you like to do in the future with your art?
In the future, I would like to travel to different areas to study more wildlife and habitats for new paintings. But, many exciting things that have happened have not been planned but rather fallen in our laps, so to speak. So, I hope these things continue to happen.

I see you are book with exhibitions till 2006!
Where can we see your work on display next?
Our next large exhibition of work will be in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for our family's group show, "Natural Inspirations", this August at our gallery "Galleries West Fine Art".

But we do have a number of other exhibitions that we are participating in around the country.
Hopefully one will be close enough for you to visit. :)

You can visit the Latham family's website and see Rebecca's work as well as the work of her sister Bonnie and mother Karen.