Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Becca Farmer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Becca, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

That’s a tough question because I have a hard time being creative if the subject isn’t meaningful to me. Of course, there’s a time to develop skills and try new techniques, but that’s like a program running in the background when I’m creating art. I have to be emotionally immersed in every piece of art I create or I loose interest.

With all that said, I have to admit that my “Sad Farewell” painting is the most meaningful project I’ve worked on. It has to do with my community’s history.

The Phoenix Valley used to be a thriving agricultural area, as counter intuitive as that sounds. When I was in High School our little community was completely surround by working fields. There were a couple of fields, far from housing, that were bordered by huge eucalyptus trees, probably starting from limbs that had been used as fences maybe even 100 years ago. There were two roads out to the far West, Cotton Road and Citrus Road, that were lined with these massive trees on each side of the road. It was a literal tunnel of trees for a couple of miles. I loved to drive through there from the moment I first got my license. It was magical to me. We currently live out in that area.

The first set of trees to go was on Cotton Lane. Practically overnight they were gone. Commercial properties popped up in their place along the new 303 Loop. I cried.

A few years later, as I was driving home from the gym, I passed through the tunnel of trees on Citrus Road at just the perfect time of the evening. The sun was setting, causing a glow all around that magnified the feeling of being covered by the ancient greenery. Eucalyptus trees have such an amazing and interesting bark. This particular evening the bark on the trees was glowing. I started planning out the painting that I just had to create. Then the thought came to me that these won’t be here for long.

So I took as many photos and videos as I could. I started to paint. I painted and tried my best to capture my impressions of this lovely landmark wrapped up in the memories throughout my life. And then the day came. At first a few hand picked giants were cut down. Then it all happened suddenly like it had on Cotton Lane.

My painting “Sad Farewell” is my best expression of losing these dear old friends. I also have a short video that I’m working on to give anyone interested a short visual of their story.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I’ve been an artist since I was a child. I started painting with oils through private lessons in Junior High. I’m also a military brat that grew up in Europe, so I was immersed in art as a normal way of life. I studied Biochemistry in college and took art classes for fun. But when I left school, it was graphic arts that became my breadwinner.

Becoming a professional artist was inspired by losing my Mom to cancer, one of the darkest seasons of my life. I started painting with acrylics to process my pain. As I came out of deep grief, I realized I was a different person. I had found treasures in the journey. Clarity. Compassion. Determination. Hope.

My art is the language I use to explore and express my wonder. I have a deep curiosity, to the point of obsessive, with the biochemical mechanics of life. Often in my work I’m fascinated with that aspect of beauty in life and even in death.

I’ve chosen to use acrylic paints for their crisp color, ability to develop glazed layers and lower environmental impact. My passion is creating dramatic visual experiences of color, contrast and depth – mirroring my own “all-in” personality. I live in Arizona with my husband, who I met in high school art class.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The one resource I didn’t appreciate early on is one that has had the most profound positive affect on my journey: interacting with other artists. I focused all of my energy on learning and mastering materials, composition and design, art history, emulating styles . . . tangible resources that could improve my art process. The thing I neglected was relationships with my peers. It wasn’t intentional. I guess I was just busy.

Now I can see the importance of connecting with others who share my artistic quirks that I mistakenly thought were just my own. I’ve found out that the steps of working through a project – the inspiration, hard work, dismay, discouragement, hope and elation – is common to so many talented creatives. I spent too many years of being hard on myself because I didn’t know I was acting like a typical artist. Now I have a regular group of artists I meet with to share ideas, struggles and feelings that are common to the creative personality. It has made a huge difference in my creative life.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I’m pretty interested in NFTs in the art market. As someone who has seen tons of photographs of the Mona Lisa and cried when I actually saw it live – I have very strong opinions about the importance of experiencing art in person. I also believe that there is definitely a place for digital creativity in this world! I’m a huge fan of CG movie mastery in the past couple of decades. And I’ve even been experimenting with augmented reality attachments to my paintings. It’s a blast. I can understand the appeal of the NFT market and I’m applauding those who are finding success there.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.beccafarmer.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/becca.farmer.art/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeccaFarmerArt
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/becca-farmer-938b79127/