Rebecca Ogun

Year of birth: 1978
Where do you live: USA
Your education: BFA from The University of Texas at San Antonio/ MFA from Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
Describe your art in three words: Colorful, Memories, Flowers
Your discipline: I don’t stick to a particular one, but at the moment, painting, mix media, drawing, collage.
Website | Instagram

Rebecca Ogun | Purple Tulips | 2025

Your artistic journey began at a young age. How have your early influences, particularly from your family, shaped your current practice?

My influences began as a child growing up around my aunts, grandmother, and mom creatively doing fiber arts such as knitting, crocheting, needlepoint work, and quilt  making. However, my grandmother was the biggest influencer as I was intrigued by the different oil paintings that were done by her and hung up in her house. I remember this one particular painting she did of a still life with lilies and it had a mint green background. It was the most beautiful painting in the house because of the colors used and that mint green background. I used to stand right up front at her paintings around the house and just stare and be mesmerized by the textures and colors that were used. I would also sneak into her closet and look at her art tools, paints and brushes. It was like a treasure hunt for me. She also took me with her to her art club meetings and I remember watching her and others create some ceramic pieces and paintings.

In your project statement, you mention the interplay between nature and human craftsmanship. How do you find this balance in your work, especially when using different media like watercolor, oil, and colored pencils?

Looking at my artworks, I want to show the naturistic beauty of the flowers by showing the unique qualities of different mediums. For example, colored pencils allow me to layer and blend colors to get a nice texturized look and feel to my artwork. However, layering with watercolors and oils creates a soft fluidity quality that can be seen in my artworks. When I decide and select a different medium for works in a series, I want to compliment each medium with the others which will enhance them as a whole.

Rebecca Ogun | Guiding Light | 2024

You explore themes such as family, women, and daily life. How do you approach portraying these themes through your art, and what message are you hoping to convey?

Some artworks show a memory of my childhood whether it was the vase, the flowers or even the colors that I remember from my grandmother’s paintings. Looking at these as well as themes of family, women and daily life, they all combine together to show the strength, challenges, and moments of connections that have impacted my life. I want to capture the personal aspects of these experiences that involve visual elements to evoke emotions and thoughts and connect with others on a personal level to spark conversations about their own lives and memories.

Could you tell us more about your series on flowers? What do they symbolize for you, and how do you translate that symbolism into your artwork?

Well, I have always loved how flowers can brighten a space up and because of this my husband and my self would buy flowers for our kitchen. But it is also sad to see how flowers wilt and die away. So one day, I decided that I would take pictures of the flowers that we would buy, use them as a reference, and create a series of still lifes with flowers. Flowers in my artwork can be seen as a memory that I once had and convey a mood depending on the type of flower; as each one has its own personality.

Rebecca Ogun | Lemons and Tulips | 2025

Your recent works seem to involve a blend of vibrant colors. How do you decide on your color palette, and what does color represent in your pieces?

You know, that is one thing that I love in my artworks is the use of color. The way I use color can vary; it can rely on emotions or using color theory concepts. Sometimes I will start an artwork with flowers and go from there processing the color aspects of it or I will decide on a background color that I have not done and then add the flowers to it. One thing that I do keep in mind (and teach as well) is that layering colors enhances your artwork by showing the richness of colors together.

As a high school art teacher, how do you balance your professional art career with your role as an educator? Do your students’ perspectives ever inspire your work?

Over the years I have learned to balance my professional and family time outside the classroom because most of the day goes to teaching students. I am a pretty organized person, so I have learned to create a routine at work to get work related things done there and not bring them home. When school finishes, my time is dedicated towards my family and myself including my professional art endeavors, which I have also learned to balance this out as well.

Sometimes I may have an urge to create art late at night and just submerge myself into it. I don’t like to ignore my family time either, so I try to take small projects and work on them while being with the family. Other times, I may work on something for a little while just to put my foot into what my creative thoughts are about, so that I can be in my creative space, physically and mentally.

I think I am lucky to be able to teach what I love and see how students are going through this creative process and having conversations about art in a formal setting. I do get inspired by other students whether it is their skills or creative process because they are also artists in my classroom and some have great ideas. Sometimes when I teach a certain medium, it gives me that motivation to go home and try it with my own artwork and ideas.

How do you see the role of art in raising awareness about societal issues, and do you consciously include these elements in your artwork?

Art definitely is an important aspect of getting your voice heard in society that can create a connection and inspire change by raising awareness and creating empathy. Almost everywhere you turn there is some sort of awareness going on whether it is on clothing, personal statement style, social media with tons of it, and just observing people. Visual storytelling also allows barriers to be broken down and seen through different perspectives. In my previous works, I have included these elements which have stirred up emotions and conversations and wanted to get my point across. I wouldn’t say all my artworks are like that, but when I feel the need to express and share a statement visually, I just do it.