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a literary journal published by the Black Earth Institute dedicated to re-forging the links between art and spirit, earth and society

Rebecca Clark


Bird, Bee, and Late Summer Grass

a sparse, realistic drawing of a songbird at the bottom of the frame with its mouth open amongst delicate prairie foliage; a bee flies in the upper right; the background is a warm gray without any details
graphite on paper, 30″ × 22″, 2011


Bee 33 (Evening)

a sparse, realistic, detailed drawing of bees flying on a white background; a large bee is in the foreground near the bottom and others vary in size down to tiny dots as they are further from the viewer
graphite on paper, 21¼″ × 10¾″, 2012


Stafford’s Deer

a delicate, realistic drawing of a deer, isolated on white, laying down with its head tilted slightly back, looking at the viewer
graphite on paper, 22″ × 30″, 2013


Away (for Hayden Carruth)

a detailed, realistic and delicate grayscale drawing of a fox's head on the left side looking inward, with blank off-white space filling the rest of the frame
graphite on paper, 15″ × 22″, 2018


Whale 1

a delicate, realistic drawing of a grayscale whale swimming in abstracted blue-green water
graphite, colored pencil, watercolor, oil pastel, and pastel on paper, 22″ × 30″, 2015

I make drawings of the natural world, transient moments of grace and beauty in an age of disappearance. Inspired by plant and animal studies of the Northern Renaissance, Netherlandish devotional panel paintings, and nature mysticism as expressed through various forms of art, music, poetry and prose, my art acknowledges interconnectedness in nature and our loss of connection with the sacred.

Our planet is broken because we’ve lost relationship with the earth, with our soul. My drawings serve as more than intimate portraits; they are testaments to lives lived. They are memento mori, reminders in this age of ecocide that humans cannot live detached from nature. May these quiet drawings remind us of our place on this planet and awaken our consciousness to the cosmos of which we are a part.

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Rebecca Clark is a Maryland artist whose quietly detailed pencil drawings reflect the sacredness of nature and the interconnectedness of all living things. Growing up immersed in the natural world, her exploration of the woods and creeks along the Chesapeake Bay forged a bond with plants and animals and laid the foundation for a visual vocabulary she would tap into many years later. Rebecca received a BA in Art History from Swarthmore College and studied painting and drawing at the Maryland Institute College of Art and at the Corcoran College of Art + Design. She has exhibited in numerous venues both domestic and international. Her work has been featured in publications such as: Works and Conversations, Dark Mountain, Resurgence & Ecologist Magazine, Where the Leaves Fall Magazine, EarthLines, Orion Magazine, and The Learned Pig, and was selected for the award-winning INDA 8, Manifest Gallery’s 2014 International Drawing Annual.

Other works by Rebecca Clark »


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