Rebecca Jewell has recently returned to her Fen Ditton studio Already celebrated for her work; three prints in the recent Royal Academy exhibition, her recent fascination is for the significance of seaweed.. From the inspiration of seaweed, she has created. art forms to celebrate the beauty of this underrated but amazing natural resource.

Rebecca’s entire oeuvre celebrates the beauty of the natural world. This is vital at a time when the world loses thousands of acres of natural habitats each day. Many species of plants and animals will soon be – tragically - extinct. What we lose in this catastrophic collapse cannot be measured. Artists realise this. Drawing is about observation. Nature needs this awareness to help stem the deadly decline we face.

This artist’s work has centred on birds and their exploitation. In the past - and today when hunting and trapping persists like never before. George V held the record for bird shooting in his time but even today the Royal Family lead the ‘sport’ of bird kill. Thousands of acres of once fertile open land are dedicated to this activity.

Rebcecca is an unusual artist she combines natural science and art.. She has a PH D from the Royal College of Art, 2004, entitled Understanding Pacific Feather Art Through Drawing the world of nature close to home engages her.

.” I have spent much time doing drawing from Natural History specimens, artefacts in museums and animals and plants in the field. Drawing is about problem solving and decision making. The act of drawing is itself a journey of discovery. Both the finished drawing and the process of drawing become part of that object’s lifecycle. Represented on paper the artefact takes on new life and the artist gives us a new interpretation. Beforehand it may have been static, lying dormant on the shelf, through drawing it becomes mobile and portable and takes on a new meaning. “

Rebecca’s venture into the mysterious world of seaweed is timely. The beauty and function of seaweed is of increasing interest.;the prints tell their secret story. In government initiatives cultivation of ‘meadows’ of seaweed, vital to marine life, are in play. The latest project will sew hectares of sea grass around the Scottish coast to attempt to stem the loss of these natural resources. .

Rebecca’s work is original and integral. She prints her images on to seaweed paper and seaweed film. The originators of these, the producers, are ecologically switched on to their importance in the modern world – their idea of putting dishwasher tablets in seaweed packages is in transition. As this liquid is notoriously the most potent and dangerous of all household detergents this is a timely and bold move indeed.

The Cambridge Critique caught up with her at a talk in the Fen Ditton Gallery where Rebecca has exhibited with Isla Turner who creates jewellery from seaweed pods and other artefacts to intrigue for their beauty and the inspiration of the seaweed material she works with.

During 2024 Rebecca archived her remarkable body of work, with the help of Hannah Mumby, Gallery Manager at Fen Ditton Gallery, It has paid off. Three National Museums have accepted her works into their permanent collections:
The British Museum – has acquired a collection of 125 prints, collages and drawings The Natural History Museum – has got 17 drawings, prints and collages and here at home in Cambridge The Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology - has 30 artworks

Welcome back to Cambridge Rebecca, we look forward to more inspirational work from your Fen Ditton studio.