For more than 20 years, Rebecca Rutstein has created paintings, sculptures, and murals inspired by her fascination with the natural world, writes Matteo Iadonisi for 6abc.

During college, Rutstein discovered a fascination with geology and started dreaming about exploring the ocean.

Her creativity facilitated a path toward that.

“In 2015, I ended up for the first time on a research vessel actually collaborating with scientists exploring the deep ocean. We were at sea for three weeks,” said Rutstein.

During that time period, she created art using paint and the motion of the ocean and developed a curiosity about what lay beneath the surface.

Three years later, she took two trips beneath the surface in the deep-ocean submersible, HOV Alvin.

The experience sparked her to incorporate some of that imagery into the newer artwork she created upon returning on land.

“A lot of my work is sort of replicating or thinking about these networks, shedding light on these hidden systems in the natural world that connect everything … As a means to foster more empathy and ultimately stewardship of the natural world in the face of our changing climate,” she said. 

She is planning a third trip under the sea next Spring.

Learn more about Rebecca Rutstein and her unique artwork in 6abc.

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