Daily Inspiration: Meet Rebecca Reid Smith

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Reid Smith

Hi Rebecca, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

I’m a painter, but I come from a family of musicians, consisting mostly of piano players. Some not only players, but highly respected piano instructors. For instance, my great grandmother’s gravestone simply says “Teacher of Piano” etched with a music note underneath. My Dad went to Berklee College of music to study jazz piano, which ultimately led to him moving to Nashville where he met my mother. My older brother, Julius, took piano lessons while he was young, and is one of those people who can pick up almost any instrument and not only play it, but play it well. While proud I came from such a musically talented family, I always felt like something was missing. I was even envious I didn’t play music or have a unique talent. I wanted to have something I was really good at. My mom had her own thing going, she was a highly successful barber who owned a business in Nashville called Headwest since the late 70s. While not a musician, she had an array of hobbies, friends and a vibrant, busy life. I remember once I was upset talking to her about not knowing what my purpose is, or how to be happy etc., and she said, “you need to find something that’s yours.”

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve come to the conclusion that there are 3 things that make up a great artist: practice, mental illness, and a past that weighs heavy on the emotional field.

I graduated from Belmont University in May of 2013, and in June my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Prognosis was not ideal, and she died 15 months later. September 3, 2014 to be exact. She was able to die at home, and the evening before she passed there was the most dramatic, incredible sunset myself or anyone there had ever witnessed. It was honestly kind of frightening because I thought,“here they come to take her away.” To this day, I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m not sure if that has any connection to me painting sunsets, but I’d like to think it does. After the dust from the funeral settled, I went to a very dark place for a long time and it felt like I was living in the depths of Hell. I was grieving the loss of my mom along with the life I once knew. During this era, I had also gotten dumped, lost my dog and was completely hopeless about the future. I graduated with a major in psychology and minor in journalism, but had no prospective plans to go in either direction. It wasn’t until March of 2015 when my life started to turn for the better. I started working as a substitute teacher at a preschool, then became a full-time teacher because it brought joy and purpose back into my life. One weekend I randomly decided to finish an acrylic painting I’d started several years prior in college, and since then I haven’t stopped.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’ve been making art off and on since childhood, but I started painting regularly in 2016. I began with moons and planets in acrylic on canvas. I loved the subject matter and medium so I kept going and got better with each painting. I then experimented with spray paint and did a handful of spray paintings, still planet/space related. After that I decided to try out colored pencils. It wasn’t until 2020 that I began the sweet descent into watercolor and gouache. I’m not sure how it happened, but my style evolved and I moved away from spacescapes and fixated on suburban landscapes with unrealistic colorful skies. The majority of my paintings are inspired by photos I take myself. I use royalty-free sites for reference from time to time, but I’d rather the whole thing belong to me. My paintings are relatively small, cut to various standard photograph sizes.

I started selling art and prints at markets in June of last year, and doing those has been really great for gaining exposure and meeting other creatives in the area. Seeing people’s live reaction to my art has also been a rewarding and mostly positive experience. My best seller by far are my original bookmarks. I love them because it allows people to have a one-of-a-kind piece of art that’s incredibly affordable.

I paint mainly with watercolor and gouache on paper, but the past couple years I’ve also been painting walls around my house with an 80s inspired color palette, which has opened up a new and refreshing outlet for me.

When people think of watercolor, they probably assume loose florals or something of the sort. My art is different from the norm, and I’m grateful for that. Two of the main things I hear from people at markets is that my paintings look like photographs, or that my art is unique. Hearing that it’s unique is probably my favorite comment.

I’m inspired by the mundane and the overlooked. I’m inspired by the retro suburban landscape, specifically from older movies such as Poltergeist, E.T., and Over the Edge. I’m obsessed with memories, nostalgia, how things are constantly changing and the overall passing of time. I think I’m attracted to subjects like street lights and power lines because for the most part, they don’t change. Trees look the same. The shape of house tops are relatively universal across time. I guess there’s a side of me that feels comfort in that.

I’ve had a fair amount of loss in my life, more than the average person I’d say. I fight daily battles within myself and struggle with a lot of mental anguish. However these paintings and my ability to make art belongs to me. No one can take it. It’s mine.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I am in the process of updating my website with new paintings and prints, so be sure to follow my instagram to stay up to date. I will also be offering RRS t-shirts and tote bags.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rebeccareidstudio.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/rebeccareidstudio