Send us a text

“Back to the drawing board” - Portaferry Artist, Rebecca Dorrian, on The Down about Down Podcast with Chris Scott

The latest Down about Down Podcast features Portaferry artist, Rebecca Dorrian who has returned to the art scene after 32 years.

Rebecca, on her Instagram and Facebook sites “Rebecca Dorrian Art” describes herself as a self-taught portrait and seascape artist. Chris, who first noticed her works of art on social media, invited her to appear on the podcast, which has now in excess of 23,000 downloads.

Rebecca, originally from Moy in County Tyrone, talks to Chris about her early influences with art, including memories of her grandfather, a sign painter, encouraging her to draw at an early age.

She did excel at art at school and eventually went to England to do a foundation in art for a year. Life would eventually take a different direction for Rebecca, and the brushes and paints were put aside. In her day job she works as a Dementia Navigator with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. The painting started when she was off work with covid several years ago. This was to be the first time in 32 years when she had last visited the canvas. “It was a ping moment for me. I forgot how this made me feel,” she told Chris. That was January 2022, and she hasn’t looked back.

“Painting is a release for me and it is my therapy,” she explained. “I paint at the weekends when I finish work and I don’t think about anything else.” Up until two years ago Rebecca had never painted a landscape or seascape.

The beautiful scenery around the Portaferry area cannot be ignored, and Rebecca now regularly paints scenes from that part of County Down and beyond.

“Window to Paradise”, one of her favourites, is used as a backdrop to her Facebook page, and was the result of a sunset scene she photographed from the Lough Shore area of Portaferry.

Rebecca has been commissioned for portraits and she has recently sold one of her landscape paintings at her first outdoor stall at Art on the Rails in Holywood. To her surprise she has also just been approached by an art gallery. “This is honestly unreal for me. If someone had suggested a year ago that I’d be approached by a gallery I’d have laughed at them!” she recently posted on her social media.

Rebecca is an inspiration to anyone who has the slightest inkling of taking their talent to the next level. To listen to this inspirational and talented lady tune in to the Down about Down Podcast, available on the usual media platforms.

Have a look at Rebecca’s Facebook and Instagram pages – Rebecca Dorrian Art. You can also contact her on email – rebeccadorrianart@gmail.com

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify