An interview with: Rebekah Rubalcava
- Brandon Pestano
- Jun 4
- 4 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
In conversation with American oil painter @rebrubalcava
"Rebekah Rubalcava, born in 1996 in La Jolla and currently based in Atlanta, is a self-taught writer and oil painter whose work delves into the intricate realms of the unknown, sensuality, and the subconscious. With an exploration of dreams and personal symbolism, her art reflects the lush inner world shaped by both internal transformations and the subliminal impressions of the collective psyche and the unknown aspects of the self. Her surrealist creations invite viewers into a burning dreamscape, where the mysterious dynamics of internal alchemy unfold through potent symbols. inviting viewers to confront the shadow aspects of their identities while questioning the boundaries between self, other and the nothing. Through her evocative symbols, she navigates themes of beauty, and the untouchable elements of existence and identity, challenging perceptions of external reality and self concept." - rebrubalcava.com
Read on below for our full interview...
Could you tell us about your process of being a self taught painter and how that journey was for you starting out?
It’s hard to say when it started, I’ve been painting for as long as I could hold a paint brush. It was bit of monkey see monkey do with my dad as he is also an artist. It’s always been present in my life. When I got very serious about it around 10 years ago, It was more so about finding what I really enjoyed painting. It started with pin up girls, then glamorous women, and then I went through a spiritual shift and started playing with the concept of painting my emotions, dreams and internal symbols.
What inspires and drives your fascination to explore themes relating to the subconscious and dreams within your work?
Dreams and the subconscious have always been a deeply fascinating realm I’ve explored before including them in my work. I’ve always had very vivid dreams, lucid dreams, sleep paralysis etc. Sleep is something I see as somewhat of a portal or gateway to something deeper within the self and maybe outside of the self. So it sort of bled from my extensive writing on these subjects and found it’s way to my paintings. It sort of feels natural to want to explore these symbols from the internal and alchemize them into imagery. If anything, it’s all a sort of way to heal and sort of unveil hidden aspects of yourself.
How do you feel right now creatively? Are there any ideas that are surfacing which are taking a hold of you to explore moving forward?
I feel on the edge constantly, there’s never a moment I’m not letting something stir me. I’m looking to further explore themes of self embodiment through dissolution of identity.
What does 'internal alchemy' mean to you on a personal level and also in the context of your work?
A constant death and rebirth of the self. It’s probably quite self indulgent everything my work revolves around, but truly nothing is more fascinating than the totality and void of the self. Internal alchemy is a constant state of change, embracing the fact that the self concept is ephemeral and can never be fully known but only embraced.
How do you perceive the duality of lightness and darkness within your work representative of the spectrum of emotions within the personal symbolism you explore?
They’re one in the same, they need one another in order to be full. Symbolism can be contradictory in itself which I find fun. A bird can mean blessings or omens, a mirror can mean illusion or clarity. It’s all about how the sequence of symbols reveal themselves. Emotions are the same, sadness can also be apart of happiness, strife can be bliss as well. My work doesn’t sit well in one shade, it needs the in between.
As an artist how do you stay in touch with that place within yourself which keeps your work authentic and honest especially in todays world of so many distractions?
I try not to compare, I used to do it chronically. Once I began tapping into the unseen parts of myself the more I fell into that world and wanted to share it, as much as I wanted to hide it.
Are there any particular artists, writers, books, philosophers etc that you consider to have changed the way you look at things and have helped to sculpt your own individual philosophy?
Many, but Clarice Lispector is my biggest inspiration, I love books most. I think they’re the most inspiring art as it’s up for more interpretation than painting. I take more inspiration from writers, movies and music. Lynch is sort of an obvious one, hugely impactful. Von Trier too. I love his grit, though he’s quite controversial I love how raw and unabashed he is in storytelling and his movies are so rich with esoteric symbolism.
What does Spirituality mean to you?
It’s life and death. It’s the way to connect to the everything of existence while embracing the nothing of it. It’s also a way to create fulfilment in your life, to see that there is interconnectedness to the vastness of life, either consciously, or unconsciously.
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You can discover more of Rebekah Rubalcava's work via her:
- Astral Magazine
