Rebecca de Leon Almazan
I was born in San Antonio, Texas, attended public schools and received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and biology from the University of the Incarnate Word. I lived in Spain when I first left San Antonio. I then resided in Silver Spring, Maryland for 25 years with my husband, Jim, and daughters Selene and Yvonne. During my time in Maryland, I was a clinical microbiologist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC.
I returned to San Antonio in 1993, where I discovered the joy of painting. I joined a Folk Art/Decorative Art Studio for eight years. The last four years I have been at Salon Mijangos studying with Maestro Alberto Mijangos, Missi Smith, Linda Lang, and Jenny Crone.
My journey into art started in the laboratory when I spent long periods marveling at microorganism’s arrangements, movement and color and observing their colonial growth.
Artist's Statement
My studio provides me with solitude and solace to find my voice. The solitude to engage my thoughts, study the canvas, and contemplate the process of applying and moving the paint. The solace to allow my imagination to explore and develop and create negative spaces over some of the color. I may choose to lift off paint to expose areas of the canvas, or I may choose to use charcoal and/or soft pastel to define areas. I let the colors flow and find their own place and allow color relations to develop. This allows me to create depth and start to develop concept and composition. The canvas guides me throughout this entire process, and I recognize intuitively when my work is nearing completion. This process is an influence of my Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and biology, and subsequent certification in clinical microbiology. This background may account for the organic aspect of my work.
My work is who I am, it is my voice, and it speaks.
