Exemplary self-taught British artist Rosa Sepple's fantastical mixed media compositions, created in her distinctively animated style, have garnered much admiration over her career.
Indeed, only 5 years after she first began to paint (following a struggle with her health and debilitating depression) in 2004, she was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI). And in 2009, she was subsequently elected a member of the Society of Women Artists (SWA).
Anthony J. Lester, of the International Association of Art Critics and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) says that the artist “is surely a textbook example of inborn artistic talent.”
And he is not alone in his appreciation, with fellow RI members citing “Rosa continues to produce highly original works that are vibrant, energetic and magical” - Colin Kent.
Rosa is now President of the RI, having (in 2017) become the first woman to be elected to the role since it's inception in 1831.
As well as having exhibited in major art exhibitions like the Royal Academy in London, Rosa has hosted highly successful one woman shows, has private collections all across the globe, and has sold over 2000 paintings to date.
It's unsurprising that she has also acquired a number of awards to her name, including the Herring Award, the Elizabeth Scott-Moore Award, the Debra Manifold Award, the Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Award and the Andrew Hillier Award for creativity.
Her extensive list of esteemed accolades are testament to her raw talent, vivacious imagination, and skill for visual story telling.
Whilst her depictions of bustling harbours, smiling couples, and vibrant villages can be appreciated for their cheery overtones and joyful naïvety, their intriguing narrative bears many more layers, judiciously mirroring the watercolour and collage mixed media in which they are created. A closer look will reveal a more sombre, sometimes risqué, subplot within her pieces which echo both experienced and missed events from her own life.
She says "My paintings are an expression of a playful world I never had. Somehow I missed my childhood, went straight into marriage and motherhood and much of the fun in life seemed to pass me by. Now, as I sit and work in my studio, I can take my most excessive imaginings for a walk in complete safety and do all the naughty things I might like to have done."
In 2015, Rosa launched her first book, drawing on those sentiments, and penned by Adrian Hill FRSA, called Out of the Blue. It showcased 122 of her paintings of everyday people and experiences transformed and depicted in a colourful dream-like world of her own, yet tinged with dark and poignant elements from her own experiences.
Following on from the success of this collaboration, a second book of Rosa's paintings was written by Adrian and launched last September, entitled A Journey Like No Other, which coincided with her most recent major solo exhibition at The Gallery, Holt.
If you missed the opportunity to see her show last year, next month, you can find her work on display at the Mall Galleries, for the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours 210th Exhibition.
We are also proud to publish a beguiling selection of limited edition prints by Rosa which you can browse and buy from on our online gallery – featuring an alluring collection of vibrant coastal scenes in rich palettes, like the inky blue and green hues of Coastal Village, the colourful yet ethereal White Church,
and the whimsical and wild Camper Van.
If this has piqued your interest, head over to our online gallery where you can browse and buy from her full collection of limited edition prints.
