Rebecca Shapiro

Seattle artist Rebecca Shapiro was a hit at the recent Outsider Art Fair in New York City. Garde Rail Gallery first met Rebecca in late 2008, and where well impressed enough with her delicate yet odd embroideries on muslin, that her work was taken straight to the Fair, where they were well received and well purchased by collectors.

“I taught myself to embroider about three years ago.  I started out punching holes in cardboard, and then I figured I might as well learn the real thing.  My first one was of a seventeenth century plague doctor. My embroideries are largely based on the illustrations found in antique medical books.  Depending on complexity, a single piece can take anywhere from a day to several months to complete. 

I live in an apartment that only exists in the year 1945.  Most days I try to dress accordingly or at least mind my manners.  Inside, I keep my collections: old keys, butterflies in envelopes, magnifying glasses, vintage texts on outdated psychology, health and nutrition, dental molds, deconstructed typewriters; old Superman's pal Jimmy Olsen comics. 

In many ways, my artwork is intended as a collection of oddities; a celebration of human cleverness that stands regardless of any eventual scientific disproof.

Living in Seattle, I work for a local homeless service agency and sing and play guitar in my band, The Right Typewriters. I grew up in upstate New York, just outside of Albany.  I've lived in Seattle since 2004.  In between, I lived in Wisconsin, Georgia, Chicago and Olympia.  And I'm 28.”