By EMILY KLESARIS
NORTH READING — The Flint Memorial Library is starting off the New Year with artist of the month, Rebecca Collier, showing her collection of paintings and dreamcatchers until the end of January.
Hailing originally from Washington state, Rebecca moved to Massachusetts five years ago, where she currently resides as a local artist here in North Reading. She generously donated a dreamcatcher and painting to the North Reading Historical and Antiquarian Society for the Apple Festival in 2023.
As a Native American artist of the Snoqualmie Tribe, Rebecca’s technical knowledge and craft of her dreamcatchers is evident through the various techniques used to create these colorful works of art. Intricately woven, each piece is as unique as the next, ranging in color, texture, and scale.
Rebecca is mostly a self-taught painter, having taken many Advanced Placement art classes in high school, including advanced drawing and painting, pottery, and even mask making. She paints with acrylic, working in layers to create depth within her work. One of her paintings in this collection was created in conjunction with a three-tiered dreamcatcher; both pieces are displayed next to one another.
The subject matter of her work is primarily nature landscapes featuring bold color palettes. Works on display in the library this month include scenes of vivant night skies, flowing waterfalls, and multicolored foliage.
Rebecca plans to expand her artistic craftsmanship by attending culture classes from the tribe to learn how to create drums and shawls used for powwows and other cultural and tribal ceremonies. She also intends to pursue stained glass art in the future as well.