Rebecca Myers

Rebecca Myers

becky@rebeccamyers.com

Website: www.rebeccamyers.com

   80907

As I sit under the apple trees, I realize I have been obsessed with art since I was very young. Creating things with my hands always kept my interest and was exciting for me. Sculpting, drawing, painting and creating pottery became avenues for me to express my thoughts and feelings. My passion evolved with studies of Mesoamerican, Native American and African art. I became an archaeologist after I graduated with my undergraduate degree in art history. I continued working in archaeology in the southwest while I attended graduate school at ASU. I wanted to understand where the art of the Native American originated and how it developed. While working on an excavation of Hohokam artifacts, I contracted Valley Fever Meningitis. As a side-effect of cisternal spinal taps with chemotherapy for the Valley Fever, I developed hydrocephalus or “water on the brain”. After this episode, I became legally blind and I realized my life and future had taken a complete change. I needed to do something to realize my capabilities and improve my life's journey. The answer was to return to the things that I loved and made me happy. I became interested in studying different cultures in nature and developing my art again. I had to make some adaptations, but I found that I still could function independently and create beauty. I took a side step and became a rehabilitation teacher and counselor for the disabled. I think I needed to do this at the time to realize that my life still had worth and value. Through my teaching and counseling of the blind and disabled, I have gained confidence and had a tremendous amount of fun doing it! Now, I am involved as a volunteer with the disabled and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. During this second adventure in my life, I continued to long for the art world again. I realized I could still do my artwork- perhaps now with a slight twist- but it was still a way I could express my feelings and emotions. That is how I became involved in teaching art and humanities at a private art school and a community college. I thoroughly love interacting with my students, introducing them to art media they have never experienced. Now, while I am teaching college, I plan to paint plein air and teach workshops from my studio in my home with classes by the outdoor pond under the apple trees!