Rebecca Sheerin

Throughout my degree, my practice has centered around picturebook making. I am particularly interested in making work which has a positive impact on childhood development. Well-being is coming ever closer to the forefront of society and my work aims to engage children in this conversation. Children experience challenging situations as much as adults, and so opening a positive dialogue between adults and children is essential to their well-being. Through my studies, I have seen how picturebooks are uniquely placed to bring children and adults together into challenging, but necessary conversations. Picturebooks present complex themes in an accessible and entertaining context and can have great power to enact positive social change. The context for both my self-written narrative projects; From Above and Moving Day, was wellness; exploring loneliness, self-acceptance, anxiety, and coping with change.

The images I make are bright and playful. I often reference the landscape around me and find drawing from observation is key to my image-making. I am continually exploring new media and techniques to develop my practice, this can be seen through my print projects, particularly 'Anstruther' which was a turning point in how I use my drawing materials. I enjoy manipulating the perspective in my compositions and find this can open up the possibilities for fantastical scenes. Buildings can curve and flow into one another and the sky can become a bird. 

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Awards: Helen A Rose Bequest