ABOUT ME
My name is Rebecca Lea Williams and I work as an illustrator and artist from my London studio.
Over the last 15 years, I have worked as a commercial illustrator for a huge mixture of clients (including Molton Brown, Clarks, Volvo, Country Living, Gardens Illustrated, Marie Claire...) on a wide range of projects from editorial illustrations and packaging to branding and ad campaigns. Browse my portfolio here.
I had a break from work in 2014 when I had my son; and this was the catalyst for starting my own brand. Over the years, I’ve had so many ideas of creating my own maps, posters and prints but the commissions kept coming in and I just didn’t have the time in between.
ABOUT REBSVILLE
I still work for clients, but now have a place to sell my own creations - Rebsville. All my designs reflect my personal passions in life: namely food, travel and learning.
I come from a big foodie family of brilliant amateur cooks, which inspires my ever-expanding ‘Eat’ collection of food-and-drink illustrations. I save all my pennies for travel and the local cuisine tops the ‘must-have’ list when choosing the next place to explore. Maps and cityscapes of my home, London, make up the first collection of my location-based designs.
As a qualified primary school teacher, I am hugely passionate about learning and teaching. There is always an inspiration story and lots of research behind my work and hopefully a nugget of knowledge to take away from my products. I have a new children’s collection, much of which is aimed at helping parents support their children’s learning at home as well as being a colourful stylish addition to your home.
A BIT OF FAMILY HISTORY
As I sit working in my studio, I am really inspired by my creative lineage.
My great uncle Eddie D’Alessandro styled West End shop windows and designed Bovril ads for the London Underground in the 1930s and 40s. His cousins, Tom and Tilly, worked as designers at Sanderson Wallpaper.
My maternal great grandfather Pasquale Chirola handmade bespoke shoes and repaired soldiers’ boots in London during the war, whilst my paternal great, great grandfather William Havard made felt for their military jackets in his watermill in Talgarth, Wales.
His grandson, my great uncle Peter, worked as a stonemason for our family house-building firm Havard & Sons in the Black Mountains. In every beautiful wall or fireplace he built, he placed a diamond-shaped cut stone as his trademark, which is echoed in my Rebsville logo.
My parents met at art school in the Sixties; my dad is an interior designer, carpenter and muralist and my mum an artist, printmaker and ceramicist.
I am fascinated by the idea of inheriting skills and I love to think that the creativity of my ancestors is filtering down to me.
If you are a wholesaler interested in stocking any of my products then please get in touch here.
If you’d like to see more of the Rebsville story check out the blog and press page.