Meet Rebecca Kay
Rebecca Kay
What Is Your “Art’s Purpose”?
My Art’s Purpose is to glorify the Lord, through replicating Nature’s designs. It’s especially wonderful when my decorative concrete castings of Nature, provide a sense of tranquility to my client’s space.
Everything I create is inspired by nature. Skyscapes, in particular, have a hypnotic effect on me — the layered textures of clouds, the shifting intensity of color, the subtle interplay of light and shadow — all of it makes my heart race with excitement.
When surrounded by nature, my mind automatically shifts into a compositional mode. I notice the textures of the trees and undergrowth, the way sunlight dapples through the canopy, creating a sense of depth that is often difficult to put into words. I capture these moments through photography, taking hundreds of images of skyscapes and landscapes, each one serving as both reference and inspiration for the forms and textures that find their way into my work.
What Was Your First Exposure to Concrete?
My sister-in-law owns property in Door County, Wisconsin, where birch and poplar forests abound. While walking her land, I discovered large sections of bark scattered across the forest floor—remnants of trees that had long since decomposed, their bark preserved as the rest of the trunk returned to the earth. With her permission, I gathered select pieces and brought them back to my studio in Illinois.
After being introduced to concrete countertops in Door County, I couldn’t stop thinking about them. Something about the texture—the movement, the depth, the possibilities—completely drew me in. I fell in love with the material and began creating countertops for friends and family, eager to explore what it could become.
How Did This Lead to Concrete as an Art Form?
I had the good fortune of attending two workshops in California with CHENG Concrete Exchange, an experience that shaped the foundation of my creative process. It was there that I learned to work with decorative Glass-Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC), discovering its versatility, strength, and elegance as a medium.
Through those workshops, I gained hands-on experience in mold-making and concrete design, including the creation of countertops and functional art pieces. More importantly, it deepened my understanding of how concrete could move beyond its industrial roots to become something expressive and refined — a medium capable of capturing both texture and emotion.
As I continued through workshops and hands-on experimentation, my curiosity only deepened. I started making my own molds from objects and forms that inspired me, discovering new ways to shape and express ideas through concrete. Each experiment revealed more of the medium’s character—and, in many ways, more of my own as an artist.
How Did You Come to Find Your Subject Matter?
My medium changed dramatically after hiking Sugar Loaf Mountain in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. During a forest bath, I experienced an almost euphoric sense of connection to Nature — a feeling I knew needed to be integrated into my work. Up until that point, I had been creating custom concrete mixes, modifying aggregates to produce dynamic movement in countertop and tabletop surfaces. This experimentation helped me understand the complexity and versatility of my medium. I’ve always appreciated the intrinsic value of Glass-Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC), but discovering a piece of birchbark from a fallen tree in the Upper Peninsula truly launched a new direction for me. It became my mission to merge Nature’s design with my technical skill — and when I successfully replicated the textured surface of bark, it felt like I had truly hit the mark.
For me, play is a form of exploration. My early pieces were flat, but trees are not. I quickly realized that introducing a more natural profile was essential — and that’s when the work came alive. I’m a literal artist by nature, so this evolution made perfect sense.
It was at a art show that I first learned I was creating Biophilic Design. I had never heard the term before, but it’s commonly used among interior architects and designers. One individual referenced an article by Bright Green Tarpin, “14 Patterns of Biophilic Design.” Of those 14 patterns, I found that my work naturally aligned with designs found in Nature. Replicating those organic patterns and bringing them into a living space fosters a sense of well-being — an exciting realization that gave my work an even deeper purpose.
After my first year entering juried art shows — where artists submit statements and images for jury review — it was incredibly rewarding to see how well my birch pieces were received.
How Did Hostas Find a Place in Your Work?
When I find myself feeling creatively still, I go to the garden. There’s something grounding about placing my hands in the earth — the scent of soil, the rhythm of tending, the quiet presence of life all around. It’s there that I reconnect, and more often than not, that’s where inspiration finds me.
The Hosta became a natural muse. Their sculptural forms, layered textures, and endless variety spoke to me in a quiet, familiar way. I began to see their beauty not just as a gardener, but as an artist — shapes and veins that could be captured and honored through my medium.
Over time, I’ve had the privilege of collecting Hostas from my own garden, my mother’s, and the gardens of dear friends. Each leaf carries its own story, a moment in time and place that I can preserve in concrete. What amazes me most is how the most delicate details — the veins, the curves, the subtle transitions of form — come alive when cast.
The Hostas have become more than a subject; they’re a reminder of connection — to nature, to family, to the quiet spaces where creativity begins to grow again.
A pivotal moment came when my brother, who at one time lead a sustainability program at a local college, introduced me to Biophilic Design—the practice of bringing natural patterns into living spaces to promote well-being. He asked if I realized that my work was already part of this movement. Learning more about it gave my art a new purpose: creating pieces that not only delight visually but also enhance the spaces where they live.
I began incorporating natural elements into my work, starting with tree bark. On trips to Washington Island in Door County, Wisconsin, I collected birch bark from the forest floor. Back in my studio in Illinois, I experimented with casting these textures in concrete. The results were breathtaking: the rough ridges, smooth surfaces, and organic shapes brought the trees’ essence into each piece.
When I’m not in the studio, I turn to my garden. Gardening runs in my family—my grandmother’s serene Northern Minnesota garden and my mother’s flourishing hostas inspired me. Today, my garden, shaded by mature trees, is filled with hostas of all varieties, including some from my mother’s and grandmother’s gardens. I cherish hostas for their variety in texture, shape, color, and size—a natural reflection of the diversity I aim to capture in my work.
At its core, my work fills my soul cup. It is a deeply personal practice that allows me to share beauty, texture, and nature’s patterns with those who experience it. Each piece carries not only its own story but also the joy, calm, and connection that inspired it.
Rebecca is a lifelong artist and sculptor whose work unites the organic forms of nature with the strength and permanence of industrial materials. Born in Bitburg, Germany, on the U.S. Air Force Base at Spangdahlem, she moved to the United States with her family as a child, settling first in Minneapolis and later in a suburb of Chicago. Raised in a creative household—her mother also an artist—Rebecca developed an early passion for making. By age ten, she was hand-building clay sculptures and continued exploring both two- and three-dimensional art throughout high school, developing an enduring love for sculpture.
She attended Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, where she was awarded a Fine Art Scholarship and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in 1985. After college, Rebecca transitioned from fine art to commercial design, working for two Chicago design studios before becoming a packaging graphics manager, where she helped launch an award-winning brand. Years later, encouraged by her father to pursue her lifelong calling, she returned to her art full time.
Her introduction to concrete as an expressive medium began in 2011, inspired by a family member’s handcrafted countertops. This led to extensive professional training and advanced certifications in concrete and glass-fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) design, including studies with CHENG Concrete in Berkeley, California (2011–2012), SureCrete in Crest Hill, Illinois (2013–2014), and Fishstone Studio in Crystal Lake, Illinois (2014).
Rebecca’s sculptural work has received numerous honors, including Best in Show at the Naperville Women’s Club Fine Art Fair (2023); Outstanding Achievement at the Chicago Gold Coast Art Fair (2022, 2023); Merit Award at Art on the Fox (2021); and multiple Best in Sculpture awards at Art in the Barn (2015–2018, 2022).
Working from her Midwestern studio, Rebecca continues to explore the intersection of natural textures and industrial strength through handcrafted GFRC sculptures enhanced with repurposed Fly Ash. Her work reflects a lifelong dialogue between nature and human creation—capturing resilience, renewal, and the quiet beauty of transformation.