About Rebecca
Exhibitions & Awards

My name is Rebecca Engels and I create realistic drawings inspired by nature!

Hi, I’m Rebecca Engels.

I’m a nature artist and live in Culemborg with my husband Bas, our daughter Vera and our dog Bailey. For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt at home in nature. As a child, I’d often come home with flowers, leaves or little creatures I’d found along the way. I loved watching birds, sketching them and was endlessly curious about everything that lived outdoors.

At secondary school, I had to choose between biology and art. As both subjects didn’t fit into my timetable, I opted for biology – a choice I’m still happy with. Whilst studying Biology and Science Communication, I learnt not only to admire nature, but also to really observe it. I wanted to show others just how special and valuable nature is. Art, meanwhile, faded into the background.

Until 2021.

During the pandemic, I picked up a pencil for the first time in years. I started with graphite, experimented with different materials and eventually discovered my love for coloured pencils and pastels. Layer by layer, I saw my drawings come to life. What began as a way to relax unexpectedly grew into my greatest passion and, ultimately, my own business.

Rebecca as an artist

I don’t need to travel to distant lands to find inspiration. It is nature close to home that moves me the most. A black-winged stilt in the soft morning light, a butterfly by the roadside, the sheen on a smew’s feathers, or a flower slowly unfolding.

We often walk past these things without a second thought, whilst there is so much beauty to be discovered right there.

Through my work, I want to invite people to look again. To pause for a moment. To feel a sense of wonder at the nature that surrounds us every day. I believe that attention begins with looking. And the more closely we look, the more we come to appreciate it.

My background in biology helps me with this. I observe my subjects closely and look for the moment when light, posture and composition come together to tell a story. It is not just a true-to-life representation that is important, but above all the feeling that a drawing evokes.

My approach

Every drawing begins with an idea. There are still so many subjects I want to draw – inspiration abounds! I study my subject carefully, either in real life or from photographs, and produce several sketches before deciding on the final composition. I then build up the work slowly, layer by layer, using high-quality coloured pencils or pastels.

I enjoy working with subtle transitions, refined details and strong light-to-dark contrasts. This is a slow process that I thoroughly enjoy. It forces me to slow down and pay attention to the smallest details time and time again. For me, that is precisely where the magic of realistic drawing lies.

My work has been recognised with several international awards and published in *International Artist Magazine*. In 2026, my pastel drawing *Shake* was selected for *Birds in Art* in the United States, one of the leading exhibitions for contemporary nature art. A special milestone, but above all a confirmation that the birds and animals we encounter every day in the Netherlands also deserve a platform.

Whether you hang an original drawing on your wall, commission a portrait, or pick up a pencil yourself during a workshop or online course: I hope my work helps you to see nature through new eyes. Because the most beautiful stories are often closer than we think.

Newsletter

Want to stay informed about all the new workshops and classes, keep up to date with all the latest work and get a behind-the-scenes look? Then sign up for the newsletter!

Want to see my work in person? Then come along to one of these events, pop in to say hello and snap up your favourite piece of art! You can find me here:

Events

🌿
2026

Brabant Art Fair, 21, 22 maart
Expositie Kerkje van Persingen, 28, 29 maart
Open zondagen bij HAAKS
Kreadoe Lentefestival, 1, 2, 3 mei
Landelijk Atelier weekend 9, 10 mei
Huntenkunst Ulft, 29, 30, 31 mei
Buren bijzonder 5, 6, 7 juni
Expositie Kunst 227 Amsterdam, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28 juni
Gallery Gloria Veenendaal, vanaf juli 2026
Birds in Art, Woodson museum Wausau, USA
Expositie Natuur Natuurlijk Gallerie Staphorsius, oktober - december
Kreadoe, oktober
Landelijk atelierweekend, 8, 9 november

🌿
2025

Brabant Art Fair, 22, 23 maart
Kreadoe Lentefestival, 11, 12, 13 april
Expositie 'Echoes of the wild' met Sravani Panchavati at MINA Gallery Amsterdam, 6 juni - 26 juni
Landelijk open atelierweekend, 24, 25 mei
Open zondag bij HAAKS, 31 augustus
Kunstroute Culemborg, 27, 28 september
Tekendemo bij De Kwast, in Den Bosch, 4 oktober
Expositie bij Kasteel Groeneveld in Baarn, oktober - december
Open zondag bij HAAKS, 26 oktober
Landelijk atelierweekend, 8, 9 november
Open zondag bij HAAKS, 30 november