Mud, Dust, Music, and Art--this is the world that awaits one who visits Rebeca Gilling's work-place.
Prolific is another adjective that springs to mind as I look
around her studio. The are pieces on shelves, one in the kiln and a beautiful
piece being packed up ready to be sent to be shown in an exhibition in Brazil...
It's a hive of activity and one can sense the amount of effort being poured in
to her projects.
Rebeca talked to me as she sculpted the finishing touches to
"The Peacock" (which is fascinating to watch)
while expounding on the joys of working in clay.
Provoked by seeing the plastic covered clay bricks in the corner,
I asked her on the difference in clay itself from the product she was used to
in Brazil: "The clay here is superior than anything I can get my
hands on in Brazil. There, it is quite rough, more organic material--I literally
have to remove leafs and twigs from it! In fact when I went over for a visit a
recently I had to ship US clay over in order to work."
Although Rebeca is widely acknowledged as the leading
ceramic artist in the US she is happy to acknowledge that her start was in her
native Brazil. She has recently visited a small village in the state of Bahia,
just a couple of hours drive up dusty tracks, where the entire village are involved
in making clay pots, jugs and urns. She roamed the village taking
copious pictures, and the villages, completely unaware they were in the
presence of such renown figure in the ceramic world. It's apparent that the
visit struck a chord with her-- "It's was very humbling. The village
didn't have the modern electric kilns, so the pieces are fired in large
wood-burning kilns.” 
She worked non-stop the whole time I was in her studio
without a pause, so I felt compelled to ask why such a startling
pace?
"Simply because once a piece has taken root
in my mind it has to come out. I get antsy if it doesn't. I
guess you could say it very similar to pregnancy and birth. The gestation
period can be months--even as I work on other pieces, but when it's ready, it's
really ready and has to be come forth. I cannot stop half way through."
It makes senses. Rebeca keeps sketches and ideas
in numerous books and pinned on the walls, and her inquisitive mind
is continually scanning and searching for a new ways to express herself.
I thanked her for her time and felt privileged to
be part of a piece that will no doubt end in someone’s collection--whether
that's here or in Asia. I leave her as she prepares for another 'Art Basel' in
Miami but look forward to returning soon.
