Rebecca Kahrs watercolor artist from Brevard, North Carolina, paints vibrant still lifes, plants, and wildlife paintings. With a background in interior design and fine art from Brigham Young University and the Art Institute of Portland, she has taught art for over 25 years while conducting workshops locally and internationally. National publications like Watercolor Artist and Artist Magazine have featured her work. A signature member of the Georgia Watercolor Society, Kahrs co-founded Dragonfly Gallery in 2016.
Interview with Rebecca Kahrs watercolor artist
RRM: Your background is in interior design. How did this experience influence your transition to watercolor painting, and in what ways does it continue to impact your artistic approach?
Rebecca Kahrs: When I was a young interior designer, we were just being introduced to the CAD drawing program, and many architectural firms didn’t have them yet, so I did most of my renderings in watercolor, which was a medium that I had been introduced to while in high school. It was quick and easy to work with and came naturally to me. I enjoyed using them so much that I usually spent my vacation taking a week-long workshop painting.
Having a background in interior design was very helpful in the layout of my gallery and display, as well as knowing how to group and pull things together. I’ve used that also when doing my paintings. I consider the size and dimensions of my compositions, asking myself how this subject matter would work within that particular composition and what kind of area it would be used in. I learned a long time ago that there are art collectors who collect the art for the beauty of the art, and then there are the clients who love your work but are also looking for a piece that will work with their home and furnishings. I try to consider both types of clients.
RRM: Watercolor is well-known for its bright, transparent quality. What parts of this medium draw you, and how do you use those features to show off light and color in your art?
RK: Watercolor is a magical medium in which to paint. The key is “let the watercolor do what it wants to do” and don’t overwork it. I mostly use transparent watercolor, so the whites you see in my work are the white on the paper, not the white paint. Watercolor is also a form of chemistry. Watercolor pigments have beautiful mineral properties, giving them a glow, transparency, and sedimentation. With WC being a transparent medium, it allows you to build up your colors, creating a vibrancy that I haven’t achieved with some of the other mediums. It’s also straightforward to clean up and better for our environment because there aren’t harsh chemicals that must be disposed of.
RRM: Your compositions often feature intimate wildlife close-ups and intricate still lifes. How would you describe your artistic approach, and what key elements do you aim to highlight in your work?
RK: I must be inspired by an image or what I want to paint. I also enjoy painting in series because it lets me know the subject well. I’ve been doing a series of owls, and since I started that series, I have found myself reading all kinds of books on owls and their lives. Years ago, I did a botanical series on orchids and spent a lot of time researching them and understanding how they are cultivated, which was fascinating.
RRM: You and your husband opened the Dragonfly Gallery in Brevard in 2016 and will retire on December 24. What will you miss about owning the gallery, and what are your plans for 2025?
RK: This has been an incredible 30-year journey that started in 1997 in Savannah, Georgia. The gallery began as a teaching studio where I taught workshops and hosted visiting guest artists to teach, which evolved into our gallery and frame shop a year later. When Troy came on full-time with me at the studio, the dynamics of the teaching studio shifted, and he took on the role of managing and running the business end of the gallery, which was beautiful because it freed me up to focus more on teaching and painting. Troy has always enjoyed working with wood and his hands, and he then studied framing with Larsen & Juhl and started framing. The studio/gallery evolved into another stage, a frame shop. With my degree in interior design and Troy’s training in framing, we worked well together to help our clients make the best choices for their art.
Closing the gallery will be bittersweet because we will miss seeing our customers daily. We have many clients who have become our friends over the years, those who pop in on their way to the bakery for a pastry and coffee and then stop by to share the news or what’s going on in their lives. We will miss them very much.
So, what’s to come for 2025? After so many of our clients expressed concern about needing an excellent local framer who does the framing in-house rather than sending the item out to Asheville to be framed, we have decided to pivot.
We have been invited by the Lucy Clark Gallery and Studio in downtown Brevard to have a framing presence in her space. We plan to set up our framing profiles and a design area in the back of her gallery and meet with clients by appointment only. This will allow clients to meet with us in a quiet, uninterrupted atmosphere to make their framing choices.
I’m excited to get back in the studio and paint. I will show my artwork at Lucy’s gallery and offer more art workshops.
RRM: You’ve created instructional DVDs and led workshops abroad in Italy and France, and your work has been featured in Watercolor Artist and Artist Magazine. These accomplishments offer seasoned and beginning artists compelling reasons to learn from you. Do you have any upcoming workshops, and how can those interested find out more or sign up?
RK: I already have several workshops scheduled for the coming year, starting with a free four-hour clinic called “The Art of Watercolor.” This clinic is scheduled for February 6 from 10 am to 2 pm, and it’s free and open to the public. During the four hours, I will paint, answer questions, and discuss the art of watercolor. I will also have sign-ups for future workshops during that time. I also have a workshop scheduled for
March 26-28 in watercolor. This three-day workshop will focus on “The Fundamentals of Watercolor.” It will be intense and filled with much information, such as application and techniques, getting to know your pigments, color theory, the importance of value, and composition and design. His workshop is excellent, even for a seasoned artist. For more information, contact Rebecca@rebeccakahrs.com
RRM: What specific skills or techniques do you focus on in your workshops to help participants improve their watercolor practice? Are there particular aspects of watercolor that you emphasize?
RK: I think it’s essential as a teacher to give my students “Core Fundamentals.” If they learn the core fundamentals, they can use them in any workshop or medium. The biggest secret to working successfully in watercolor is understanding your pigments and their properties, then the water paint ratio, how to make them work for you, stepping back, and allowing the water to mingle with the pigments to create the magic.
RRM: Where is your art exhibited, and which galleries or online platforms are available for viewing or purchasing?
RK: Starting in December, my originals will be available at The Lucy Clark Gallery and Studio and on her website, Lucyclarkgallery.com. My prints will be available on my website, www.rebeccakahrs.com. Clients can contact us through our Dragonfly Gallery number, (828) 966-5099, for framing appointments and classes.
Rebecca Kahrs, a celebrated watercolor artist, continues to inspire through her workshops, art at The Lucy Clark Gallery, and online platforms.