This body of work represents a year-long investigation that began with an interest in the dramatic high contrast black and white photographs of the1960s, in which the intimacy of minute detail is absent. The abrupt intersection of shadows and light seemed to render the images “frozen” in time. I wanted to translate that concept in painting, using strong contrast and exploring interpretation with color.
Chuck Close’s portraits were touchstones, as well as Picasso’s watercolors. Gerhardt Richter’s rich explorations in monotone paintings of photographs (such as “Eight Student Nurses” and “18 October 1977”) combined with his expressionistic painterly abstracts and landscapes provided influence.
I chose intimate photographs of acquaintances with facial expressions that evoked emotions. Using Photoshop, the photographs were flattened into high contrast outlines, from which stencils were cut of vellum, wax and rice paper. Acrylic washes allowed for transparency and layering of information, while dark solid passages and lines contributed to depth.
A goal was to preserve the figure as an archival artifact, a remnant of a once lively image. By reimaging with color, layers, shadows and illuminations I wanted to impart mystery and transform the personal into more universal nuances. By undermining the importance of detail, I was interested in claiming shared (or imagined) memories and moments.
Becky Bobba is a Data Engineer & Talent Intelligence Analyst based in the greater Seattle, Washington area. She grew up in Frankfort and attended Frankfort High School where most people knew her as Becky Bessinger.
Becky began creating art at a young age under the tutelage of her mother, Reba Rye. She took advanced classes at Frankfort High School and was elected President of the FHS Art Club (2004-2005). Becky Tippett was her teacher. She also took classes at Kentucky State University as a high school junior and senior, where she studied drawing with Professor Reba Rye and painting with the late Dr. John Bator.
Becky graduated with Honors from Grinnell College in 2009, with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Concentration in American Studies. There she served as captain for both the Varsity Cross Country and Track and Field Teams, Co-Chaired the Student Education Policy Committee, was a Residential Student Advisor, selected for the Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society, and worked as a History Department Research Assistant. She continued Art studies at Grinnell College with Professor Bobbi McKibbin.
Becky received her Master of Science in Information Studies from The University of Texas at Austin in 2012, where she graduated with honors and was an Endowed Presidential Scholarship Recipient. She was a member of Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) and an Independent Research Assistant.
In her spare time, Becky enjoys hiking and exploring the Pacific North West with her husband, Paul, and their husky, Nibby. Please connect with her on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckybobba/) or email her at becky.h.bobba@gmail.com to learn more about her art process.
