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Rebecca Last earned an Masters from University of Toronto and BFA from York University, studying in Toronto, Vancouver, and Italy. In 2008 Last was awarded a fellowship from The Virginia Center for the Arts and has worked as Artist in Residence at Banff Center for the Arts and at Hambidge Arts Center, Georgia, USA. In 1988 Last was one of two artists awarded the funding by the Ministry of Culture to live as Artist in Residence at Nanjing N. University in China. There she painted and gave a series of themed lectures focusing on Western painting and visited and guest lectured at several post secondary art schools and art departments. As an art educator for over two decades Last has taught painting, drawing, design and art history at Sheridan College and has taught studio and lectured in Italy.
In 2008 The Art Gallery of Northumberland presented a solo exhibition of her paintings in the Paul Kane and Main Galleries called "Across the Lake: Studies in Light & Energy". Her paintings have been included in shows at Edward Day Gallery and Gallery Moos, Contemporary Programme in Toronto and Montreal.
Last’s artwork and design projects have been featured on CBC, Canadian House & Home, Toronto Life, Style at Home, The Toronto Star, NOW, Southern Living, US and The Globe & Mail.
The view from Last's Northumberland studio acts as her constantly shifting and evocative model - a prospect that faces west into the oncoming and erratic climatic conditions notable on Rice Lake.
"These paintings capture the lake in a wide variety of climatic moods, and showcase Ms Last’s skill in the use of light and shadow and subtle tonal variations, making these works dynamic and lively and constantly interesting. They abstract the sense of power and force, not of the lake, but of the weather on this petulant body of water. Study #54 is a turbulent, moody piece, suggesting a confluence of dark forces, a battle of good versus evil, tranquility and turbulence balanced on a knife edge." Arts Northumberland, WALTER LUEDTKE
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