A couple of weeks back i asked for any questions to be sent my way, so that i could make this sort of FAQ post. Enjoy
How long did the amazing Jumping horse picture take to do?
It is hard to say, i dont really count or log my hours. I often work on a few different pieces at a time and switch between them to keep things more interesting. At a rough guess- if i was sitting and drawing non stop with no breaks or sleep, i reckon it would have been complete in about 24hours which isn't that much! But no one can sit and draw full pace for 24 hours. I think i worked on it over the course of a month. So maybe 24 hours spread out over the month?! So hard to say.
When did you realise you were so talented?
I don't think i am talented. I am very much on other side of the fence and see it as more of a skill, and hard work! I do think some of us do have more of a natural ability when it comes to creative things, but i would not call it a talent even though most people do!
Do you remember being backing singer to Martin at lower school?
Yes! I think it was life is a rollercoaster by Ronan keating?! Maybe. But i do remember :)
Why is Rosie Norman such a legend?
Thanks to my sister on this one!
Do you have a favourite artist?
I have a few favourites for many different reasons. A lot of them are very different to the work which i do. I always wish i could be a lot less caring with how i work so the whole impressionist thing appeals to me as its something i wish i could do. Like the Monet lilypads, a load of blobs and marks but so pretty! Modern day- i like Paul Kenton, his videos are good and how he builds something so good from what seems like random marks is super cool. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7d4fcSoJ0s/?igsh=aWp2N2R4aXVpenly
I like Dave Pollot and how he takes something old such as paintings you find in a charity shop, paints on it or changes it and makes it into something else. Putting things where they dont belong. Whilst matching the style the original was painted with- all very clever. I like clever. I know a few people do this but i think he was the OG at this! https://www.instagram.com/p/CThi_AGnkHa/?igsh=MTI4cGtrZXQxMWtmbQ==
I like a lot of sculptors- something i need to try! I like this one... https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5idNW2IyOZ/?igsh=d3ZrajhtcjJmbG1l
Love Alison friend, her cute animals in oils are something id buy.
I love Cj Hendry for the coloured pencil works, just goes to show what is possible both in terms of the art you create but also her huge exhibitions and how successful shes been without representation etc. She is clever with the concepts and does whatever the hell she wants! Love that. Sophie Tea is another great example of being an artist without any galleries or representation. Love this for us younger artists. Go girls woo!
I love the old renaissance paintings and sculptures, Think its pretty good how back then without technologies etc how amazing these all are. I love going to museums, galleries, and places such as florence (have not been though!) to just go see them all in person. I also have a family link to this, but thats another story for another time. Not sure i can name drop just yet but it is a good name drop, waiting for my chance to try sculpting before i do this.
Too many favourites to list really!
Do you use art representation ?
Nope, i quite like being in control. I do work with a couple of galleries but neither are representing me exclusively. If a big time art publisher was on my list of possibilities, id probably rip their arm off for the opportunity but i am happy with running things alone and as they are at the moment.
What have you found is the best way to sell your art?
Online, its mostly free and you have millions of people there. It is not easy but it certainly beats trying to go to all the huge expensive fairs for me. I havent tried many local smaller fairs, i just dont feel theyre the right fit for my work. Word of mouth has been HUGE for me. Just think of all of your customers, they tell their friends, then they tell others too. This has been a big one for me. But that and online! Facebook is the best for me so far, instagram not so much but great for the community, and my website. But so far, that is all!
What’s your favourite animal to draw?
I love the horses to draw, just something about them that looks so magnificient on paper. So do other animals for sure, but for some reason i just enjoy the horses. Quite like the bee's too as they're smaller and you can do one bee at a time and it's still an accomplishment each time.
Hi Rosie! How did you become an artist and could you tell us about your artistic journey?
All by accident really- thats the truth. I got bored during lockdown, i was furloughed from my job and had been considering getting a portrait of my own horse done by an artist. I thought, bet i can do that. Sounds a bit cocky but thats exactly what i went and did.
I did a little reserch about the materials that would help get me the good effects i had seen other artists doing- pastel pencils is what came out on top. With pastelmat paper. So i made the order and got cracking.
Before i knew it, i had an order list that lasted months and thought hold on a minute- i dont want to go back to work now. So i never went back, emailed in my notice and that was that.
There was a lot of learning to be done that i hadn't really prepared for and maybe quitting my job so soon wasnt the most sensible idea. Yes i had plenty of orders booked in but i started at a really strange time to be so confident to just quit my job and the stable income that provided. Thats been the hardest part which ill probably expand on in a whole other post.
Anyway, i worked purely on pet portraits for about a year and during the pandemic, business was great! Once everything went back to normal it certainly changed a little and thats where i decided to expand my work, work on originals and prints and some other subject matter. I know a lot of people started at the same time as me, we all had spare time and without the pandemic- i wouldn't have been doing this!
I still feel i havent quite found my niche, ive mainly been working around what works best as a "business" while i still learn all about the physical working on my art and how to express what it is i want to be doing. It always comes down to money, so that has to be my priority with my art to make sure i can continue doing it, only then can i have the freedom to fully explore my art. 4-5 years in i know what i need to be doing now to keep afloat, however it is only really the beginning for my personal evolving within the actual art! Which is exciting.
I have a lot of ideas and pieces planned that throw me out of my current comfort zone, it's all quite exciting. However all this takes time, you really have to trust the process in all areas!
Have you always been good at art?
Hmmm, i guess so. I was "good" art school, i took art in my GCSEs and got an A so that wasn't bad. Annoyingly i didn't continue for my A levels as at this point i was wanting to go down the engineering route and took a product design & engineering A level instead. Although knowing what i know now- i didn't even need the GCSE! I then never went to uni or any other education as i just didn't know what i wanted to do. I wish i kept my art books so i could go back and see- i think dad chucked them out, ended up at the tip haha!
It wasn't until years later in 2020 when i actually did some art again. So i was never bad at it at all, maybe better than average but you are never told art can be your job when you are at school so its never really pushed or should i say, you are rarely pushed if this is the thing you are good at. All a bit too academic these days, and im not the most academic! I really do think we should ecnourage those who are really good at something- to keep going at it. Wether thats art, a sport, writing, maths, anything. I truly believe that if you are good at something and it becomes your job, you do tend to enjoy it more AND perform at your best. This is what they should be doing in schools, encouraging and supporting the things people enjoy most and excel at rather than steering them into things that are simply just expected of us.
Do you have a favourite piece of work which you’ve created?
I like the three kingfishers piece, and big jump. Two completely different pieces and loved for different reasons.
The kingfishers i love the colours, the texture and the gold. I like the 3 subjects, they feature a lot in my work, good things come in threes? or is that bad luck?!
The horse was just a new level in my realism work at the time, and the play on the composition by drawing the black box added a twist which i felt bought something new to my work.
Neither are ticking the boxes in my mind of what i want my work to look like though- how strange is that?!
Thats all for now- i thought this would be a great way to get some things answered for those of you who care to read. Ill do another sometime in the near future :)
Rosie x
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