Rebecca Plachte-Zuieback

I am a Northern California textile collage artist creating contemporary landscapes entirely from reclaimed fabric. Every collage begins with a single piece of fabric and develops intuitively, without sketches or predetermined plans. Layer by layer, hundreds of fabric remnants are cut, arranged, and machine stitched together to create immersive worlds where people, wildlife, and nature exist in harmony.
Although my landscapes are imagined, they are intentionally created to feel familiar. Rather than depicting a specific location, they invite viewers to discover places of their own within them. One person may recognize a bridge they crossed decades ago, while another sees a favorite hiking trail or a place they have only dreamed of visiting. The moment someone recognizes a place of their own within a collage, it becomes a shared experience.
Sustainability is fundamental to my practice. Every work is created entirely from reclaimed textiles, transforming discarded materials into richly layered compositions that celebrate connection, coexistence, and the beauty of giving something overlooked a new life.
My goal is not to create an escape from reality, but to invite viewers to imagine the world we are capable of creating together.

While I do not have a formal degree in fine art, my practice has been shaped through independent study, workshops, years of experimentation, and thousands of hours developing my own approach to contemporary textile collage. I hold a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, an M.S.N. in Nursing Education from Grand Canyon University, and am a Registered Nurse. Together, these experiences have deepened my interest in human connection, our relationship with the natural world, and the stories that shape how we see our place within it.