About Rebecca Stenn

ARTIST STATEMENT

I have been a dancer my whole life, and movement for me comes from line, color and shape in motion. My paintings grew out of this movement – I paint like I move through space; carving, pulling and expanding. In this medium though, the motion spills onto the canvas. In my abstract landscapes, lines become sensual and spacious definitions — the paintings breathe and pulsate with attention to color and line and abandon all at once. In my figurative work, my portraits come from what I see - I paint the stories of my life and the people who populate those narratives.

BIO

U.S. artist Rebecca Stenn has been a professional dancer, choreographer, and educator throughout her life. Stenn's paintings are deeply intertwined with her background as a dancer, translating the fluidity and motion of her body into her visual art. Her work with acrylic paint reflects an acute awareness of space, proximity, and movement, mirroring the dynamic gestures found in her choreography. Starting with abstract compositions, Stenn focuses on the tactile process of painting—each brushstroke becomes an extension of her physical movement, emphasizing the texture and energy of the paint on the canvas.

Stenn's paintings are expressive, capturing the sensuality of motion through a thoughtful balance of color, line, and shape. Each piece invites the viewer to experience the rhythm and flow that she instinctively channels from decades of movement, allowing motion to spill naturally onto the canvas in an evocative and expansive expression.   

The artist began with purely abstract painting focusing on the process of a work, such as brush strokes and movement required for various texture. Over time Stenn has begun to paint landscapes and portraiture. Her work has been exhibited as part of the Coming Out and Paradaiso shows, at M.A.D.S. Gallery in Milan, the Future Landscapes exhibit at the Palazzo Abrizzi-Capello Gallery in Venice and the Body Language 2022 exhibit at the Palazzo Bembo Gallery, also in Venice, and at the Ars Gratia Artis exhibit in London. Stenn continues to exhibit in New York City with Agora Gallery, where she is a represented artist. She has taken part in art fairs in New York City, Miami and South Hampton, NY as well as winning a juried competition at the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts in Mill Valley, California. Her work has been seen at the Colerida Galeria de Arte in Lisbon, Portugal as well as a solo show at Saphira & Ventura Gallery, in New York City, fall 2023. Additionally, four of Stenn’s paintings were used as a projected backdrop for Miami City Ballet’s production of Sea Change, choreographed by Jamar Roberts and premiered at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami. Her painting Broadway Beach was chosen by City Winery to adorn their spring rose wine label, and her piece Tapestry #3 was chosen to be the face of the advertising campaign for the Affordable Art Fair, NYC, fall 2024. Stenn has most recently been invited to show her work at the 2025 Florence Biennale.

As an acclaimed multi-dimensional artist Rebecca Stenn continues to dance, paint, and teach all while constantly experimenting with modes of making.

Contact: rstenn@verizon.net