Virginia based mixed media sculptural painter, Rhea Reeves, started as a stone and wood sculptor in her undergraduate studies at Columbus College of Art and Design. Rhea was restricted to lighter materials while recovering from severe head and neck injuries in 2000. She was instantly inspired to work with textiles after seeing the work of Magdalina Abokanowitz. Rhea started exploring quilting materials (thread, cotton-batting, fabric swatches, wire, rafia, organza, and paint) and the combining of fragile fibers and materials to create strong forms. She related the textile materials to the human body with her thesis show, Body in Question.

Rhea’s works are an expression of the human body, how it flows and heals, both physically, energetically, and emotionally. Her art is created within both controlled and spontaneous application processes. Reeves is inspired by trees, the psychology of color, and how music can inspire an artist's movements.

Her first body of work Pursuit of Love (shown in TN) was her exploration of meditation, music and the intuitive process of what she created when holding the feeling state of LOVE. Her second body of work Surfaces (shown in KY and IN) is her expression of the fleeting aspects of our world and life experiences. Rhea’s Essence Portraits are unique works that capture a person’s nature through line, shape, and color. She interviews each subject and then creates an expression of that person from her interview.

Rhea is passionate about creating works that move people’s imaginations and let them explore how they respond to these new environments she has created. She is currently working on new larger scale and assemblage type works in her studio in Vienna.