tell us a little about yourself and how your journey as an artist began?

My name is Rowan Rosie and I’m an artist based in London. I grew up in Glasgow, Scotland and studied at art school in Dundee, graduating in 2016. I had my first solo show that same year before travelling around South East Asia for an amazing few months and found so much inspiration during that trip. I then moved to Melbourne for a couple of years and the city absolutely stole my heart!

After returning to the UK, I really started to focus on my professional career in 2020 and I got some exhibition opportunities with a gallery in Glasgow that really made me think ‘yeah okay I think I can do this’ and then I just tried to capitalise on every drop of momentum from there on out (which is still my approach now!). I exhibit and sell my paintings through galleries / sell paintings and prints on my website and I teach occasional art workshops. I also collaborate with fashion brands, which was unexpected when I started out in my career but has been such an amazing way of allowing my work to reach new audiences and I love fashion so I find that really fun.

I’m now settled in the big smoke and I’m so happy here, I say it all the time. Insufferable ha. It’s an incredible city to live in as an artist. I have a studio in East London and spend a lot of my free time at the local parks, going to exhibitions, at the gym, cooking at home and cycling around Hackney. I do love my weekend coffee on / around Broadway Market, such a cliché I know!! I also volunteer weekly as a Community Befriender which has been a really rewarding way to get to know people in my local community. I think it’s important for me to have that connection to the people and place around me outside of my studio life and it’s become another meaningful part of my life in London.

how would you describe your art style to someone who's never seen it before?

My paintings are colourful, semi-abstract works that explore the natural world, travel and human experiences. The palette I work with is very pastel in tone and I use layers of acrylic and oil paint to create depth and sense of light. My intuitive approach to painting creates a lot of movement in my work, with visible brushstrokes and mark making that create a sense of freedom and possibility.

if your artwork could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Ikaria, Greece.

what's something people might not know about the process behind your art?Although my work is very light and colourful, every painting starts with a secret first layer of raw umber brown all over the canvas that gives depth and tones to the layers that I then build on top. The technical term is ‘underpainting’.

what's currently on your studio playlist?

Little Simz – I just finished watching Top Boy (amazing!) and she’s so good in it. Tems – I saw her this summer at a festival for the 2nd time and her talent and energy was so potent she made me cry haha. Love all her music. Also Dolly Parton, enough said.

three things inspiring you outside of art right now?

1 - seeing some of my girlfriends really growing & achieving amazing things in their careers right now

2 - the Irish comedian Kyla Cobbler. She’s absolutely hilarious and just so authentic and unapologetic and I just find that really inspiring as a way to be

3 - Autumn / Winter cooking. Having loved ones round for dinner or even just cooking myself a beautiful nourishing meal gives me a lot of satisfaction. So many good memories of meaningful conversations and having a laugh around a dinner table.

 is there a piece you've created that holds a particularly special memory or meaning?

Golden Temples 

2023, Oil, acrylic & gold leaf on gesso board

‘Golden Temples’ - this is a piece that holds a special place for me as one of my favourite paintings to date. It draws inspiration from my travels, blending colourful landscapes, buildings and a gentle hazy nostalgia. For me, it embodies the feelings and images that come to mind when I reflect on the expansive experiences of travelling. There is so much gained from visiting new places and seeing the world through a completely new perspective.

I know I’m very lucky to be able to travel solo as a woman and I’ve tried to distil some of the wonder I’ve felt when doing so into this piece. I also have a limited edition print series of this and I I’ve received messages from collectors all around the world saying that they really connect with this piece. So although I don’t make work with an audience in mind, it’s special to hear that this piece is one that people particularly feel something from.

Original available & also available as a limited edition print: https://www.rowanrosie.com/prints