R.I.P. Rebecca Westcott.
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Rebecca Westcott, 28, an artist from Queen Village
By Gayle Ronan Sims
Inquirer Staff Writer
Rebecca "Becky" Westcott, 28, of Queen Village, a talented artist, was killed Oct. 12 when struck by a car on Interstate 95 near Hartford, Conn., while returning from visiting her parents in Nantucket. Mass.
Miss Westcott had stopped by the side of the road to fix a flat tire when she was hit by a car driven by a man who previously had been charged with drunken and reckless driving. Miss Westcott died instantly. The accident is under investigation, state police said.
In June, Miss Westcott was one of the youngest winners of a $50,000 Pew Charitable Trust award for her paintings. Her career was skyrocketing. She had her first solo show in June at the Spector Gallery.
"She titled that show 'Homemade,' " gallery owner Shelley Spector said. "Becky created an environment with portraits of her circle of friends. She painted plants, words, recipes and numbers on the walls. It reflected her very feminine and domestic personality."
Miss Westcott had a national following after shows in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. She was booked around the country for the next year, Spector said.
At the time of her death, "Becky was happier than any other time in her life," her husband of two years, painter Jim Houser, said. "She wanted to get our house ready to have a baby."
Born in Lebanon, N.H., Miss Westcott grew up surrounded by creativity and never doubted that she wanted to be a painter. She and her mother, an illustrator of children's books, traveled the world together. They had a trip planned to Paris this week.
After graduating from Tabor Academy, a prep school in Marion, Mass., Miss Westcott earned a bachelor's degree from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1998.
She met Houser eight years ago while in college.
"The first time I saw her, we were both eating alone in a restaurant," Houser said. "She was just so beautiful. I was afraid to meet her."
The couple were together from the day after they met. They bought a house in 2000 and were married in 2002.
They each had a studio in their house, which is painted lime green, decorated with old furniture and antiques, and alive with two dogs and a cat.
Miss Westcott's paintings reflected the harmony, love and warmth in her life.
In addition to her husband and her mother, Miss Westcott is survived by her father, William; a stepsister, Wendy; a grandmother; and a step-great-grandmother.
A memorial service is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday at Space 1026, 1026 Arch St. Burial will be private.