I’m Réka Berty,
artist and creator of Róka Rege – homo narrans by nature, forest folk by birth and child of God by grace, who never ceases to wonder at Creation.
I arrived to this world at the time of the first grand snowstorm of 2003 on Three Kings Day. I grew up nibbling on oak leaves, herding firebugs, bathing in mountain creeks at summer nights – and I smeared paint, listened to my Mother’s tales and weaved stories of my own.
I got my BA degree in ethnography and folkloristics at ELTE, Budapest, Hungary in 2024, I wrote my thesis on archaic folk prayers. I’m currently doing a Master’s in the same field. My main areas of interest are folklore texts and religious studies.
As a self-taught illustrator, I mainly work with watercolors, gouache and colored pencils. I took courses on folk furniture painting from Éva Ament, a folk artist and designer, and I use the skills and knowledge I learned from her when I design and paint jewelry and small chests – less often actual furniture. When I’m not occupied by uni work or my paints, I’m mostly wandering in the woods of the Börzsöny mountains in northern Hungary discussing the big things of life with trees, moss-covered rocks, foxes and God.
I love the autumn rain, coffee that got cold, hugs and hay bales. I’m far gone in love with old traditional pottery, colors and adventures.
Róka Rege
is the name I choose to refer to all things I create. Róka is fox in hungarian, and rege is a folk genre of mythical legends. The two words together is also a reference to a recurring line in hungarian poet Sándor Weöres’ children’s rhyme and an alliteration to my name. I write a monthly newsletter and a blog both titled Rókamesék – Fox Tales.
My main source of inspiration is the folk art of my homeland, Hungary, fairy tales and nature. I’m in awe of all the tiny wonders and joys of life – the lights, the colors, the smells… I’m filled with gratitude towards God for placing me into such a beautiful world! I want to spread this peace and joy through my works, and show how boundless human imagination and divine providence is.
I take comissions and I’m open to collaborations! I have experience in teaching craft workshops such as painting, feltmaking or traditional egg decoration.
Please contact me at reka@rokarege.hu or on social media!