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With a new exhibition at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Rebekah Narewski is one of Berkshire's most successful young artists.

Her exhibition Inside Out explores elongations of the human figure through a series of striking abstract sculptures.

"I do a lot of sketching and photography, but I do concentrate more on my ceramics" she says.

Rebekah Narewski: gymnast turned artist

Rebekah had already developed a passion for ceramics prior to her National Diploma Foundation at the Reading College of Art & Design.

"An art teacher of mine from A-level was very in to ceramics. I did a lot of work with him and was really inspired." Her next step was a degree in Ceramics at the University of Westminster.

Rebekah trained competitively as a gymnast from the age of seven until her teens.

ÌýShe explains how her background has become an integral part of her art: "I used to be a gymnast so I've got a good understanding of how the body can be pushed and stretched.

"I'm very influenced by posture and the movement of the body."

Rebekah's work mostly explores the contortion and elongation of the female form. "It's about how I feel. I express it through the female form because that's what I can relate to."

Dancing Spirits by Rebekah Narewski

The artistic process of one sculpture can take Rebekah anywhere between two and four weeks. "In a month I could do four figures or I could do eight, it depends on the size.

"But then I'll have periods when I don't make so much and I just concentrate on getting the ideas down.

"I tend to start off with a series of sketches or photographs. I abstract the body down and start to elongate the limbs. Then I take it in to the ceramics.

"I'm an evening person so I work a lot then. I tend to feel more inspired in the evening, for making anyway."

The colours in Rebekah's work are chosen to represent the emotional state of the body at a particular moment.

"I love colour and I use it to try and express the emotion a figure is holding" explains Rebekah.

"I tend to make things quite exciting by using bright colours. If I want something more relaxing or serene then I'll use subtle colours like blues and greens."

Inspiring work by Niki de Saint Phalle

Rebekah's main artistic influence has come from three figures: "I really love Picasso. There's a French artist called Niki de Saint-Phalle, I love her work, and the ceramic artist Jun Kaneko. They are my three favourites."

Being a young artist in Berkshire herself, what does Rebekah think about the local art scene?

"It's quite good, but I think there could be a few more contemporary galleries around. Galleries that aren't only there to display works that sell, but also to show work that is new and by new people: something a bit different."

It is vital for arts centres and local artists to strike up a bond.

"The arts centres in Berkshire are very good because they do support the local artists. Norden Farm, where Inside Out is exhibiting, has been brilliant."

Inside Out provides a taster for anyone wanting to learn about Berkshire's contemporary arts scene.

"It's unusual, it's different, it's new and I think people could get quite excited by it."

For more information on Rebekah's work go to her website:

For information on the Inside Out exhibition: