The Persistence of Art with Rebecca Canaday

“I could work while rocking my baby to sleep on one side and drawing small and quietly on the other.”

Rebecca Canaday’s journey as an artist is a testament to the persistence of creativity, passed down through generations and adapted to the demands of motherhood.

For Rebecca, art is a deeply personal and generational practice. "My grandmother Olive was an artist and passed away right before I was born," she explains. "My parents always said she lived on through me in my art."

Living in Portland has been both inspiring and intimidating for Rebecca. “There are so many amazing artists in this city,” recalling how she hesitated to share her art. “It never stopped me from doing it though, and eventually I grew up and now know that my art isn't for everyone and that is ok.”

Rebecca’s early experiences with pen and ink began about a decade ago, when a fellow artist introduced her to these mediums. The use of ink, nib and pen, paired with calligraphy classes, allowed her to explore structure, form, and expression in different ways. In 2015, motherhood transformed Rebecca’s creative process. "I realized that working as a painter had become difficult for many reasons, space being a big one," she explains. “I had always enjoyed working really large with lots of color and broad strokes, but had adopted this new way to be creative in my new life.”

Rebecca’s artistic persistence has led to our exciting collaboration. Longtime friends, Rebecca and Harbour Public’s creative director Tava Lloyd, worked together to curate a collection of Rebecca’s graphic yet delicate ink studies of plants and an exclusive nautical knot that is Harbour’s symbol for our desire to provide a safe harbor for artists and craftspeople to thrive. “I really enjoyed how complicated [knots] can feel to draw, sometimes my brain got tangled figuring them out from 3D to 2D. It's a bit like a puzzle. I got obsessive with them and can't wait to unlock some more ideas,” considers Rebecca. “We’re honored to have collaborated with Becca on a print that’s meaningful to both of us,” adds Tava. “When we were considering who would be the first artist we carried in our shop, the choice was clear.”

Rebecca’s work exemplifies the resilience of creativity, showing how art can evolve and adapt, persisting through generations, stages of life, and the most complex of subjects. You can find Rebecca’s prints in our shop and continue to follow her artistic journey @heartinthroat on Instagram.