Burch, Rebecca

I think I decided that I wanted to be an artist when I was four.  My Mother often took me to art exhibits and cultural events, and taught me how to draw, and to make beautiful things.  My Father traveled to other countries with the West Virginia Air National Guard and brought souvenirs, recipes, and wonderful stories about other cultures.  Together, the two of them taught me that the world is a place full of beauty and inspiration, and to me, art is simply my attempt to capture little bits of life and share it with others.

I also knew that I wanted to teach art.  I have been fortunate to have had many great teachers – among them, Mary Helen Moynahan at DuPont High School, and Stan Sporny, Mary Grassell, Earline Allen, Michael Cornfeld, and Peter Massing at Marshall University.  Each teacher inspired me in a new way, and I find myself returning to their classrooms in my mind as I try to convey concepts to my students.

When I am not teaching, I enjoy painting, mixed media art, and digital photography.  I am a painter at heart, but photography has worked well with my busy life as a full time teacher and mother of four.  My children serve as both inspiration and models for a lot of my work.  Now that they are becoming older and a little more self-sufficient, I find myself returning more to painting.

Most recently, I have participated in the East End StreetWorks art project, FestivALL ArtGawk, the FestivALL Catfish Project, and the “Halloweast” exhibit on the East End.  My students recently curated an exhibit of the Clay Center's permanent collection entitled "Wildly Wonderful and Wonderfully Wild," which closes on July 25.  I am looking forward to traveling to India in July with the Davis & Elkins/ WV Humanities Council's India Institute, and look forward to taking lots of photos and creating lots of art inspired by my experiences in Delhi and Agra.

Website:  http://www.rebeccaburch.com
Store:      http://carpeyousomedim.etsy.com
Network:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaburch