Welcome back to the Fen Ditton Gallery podcast, hosted by Hannah Munby.

I’m delighted to bring you my recent conversation with painter, printmaker and collage artist, Rebecca Jewell. The daughter of a zoologist and an archaeo-zoologist, Rebecca spent her childhood immersed in the natural world and this interest has followed her through life. Her work is a cross-cultural examination of the human exploitation and veneration of birds. Her intricate drawings of artefacts and bird specimens, and her unique feather collages, are inspired both by material culture collections in museums and issues around the contemporary hunting and trapping of birds, particularly in the Southern Mediterranean.

Having studied Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, Rebecca went on to complete a PHD in Natural History Illustration from the Royal College of Art. She is now a fellow of the Zoological Society of London, a Fellow of the Linnean Society and a Member of the Artworker's Guild.

Rebecca has spent much time throughout her career getting to know the British Museum collections. She took up residencies there in 2005 – 2010 and is presently the Artist in Residence for their ‘In Storage’ project. In 2019, 40 works by Rebecca were acquired by the British Museum.

I hope you enjoy my interview with Rebecca. It was a pleasure to catch up with her and discover more about her childhood, inspiration and process, and how she hopes her art will raise awareness of some of the most pressing conservation efforts of our time. 

You can view Rebecca's works at fendittongallery.com.

As is the time we are living in, this interview with recorded online and at the mercy of the internet.