Rosie brand is a ceramicist/ illustrator who might actually leak creativity.
Her work is reminiscent of folk art, she is telling us stories from a myriad of cultures, you can tell she enjoys her work there is a playful undertone to her ceramic and illustration work.
If you have a gander through her blog on tumblr (see link below) it gives you an insight into the creation of her work that shows an interesting development from initial ideas to finished pieces which honestly is lovely. It is refreshing for an artist to show the bare bones behind their ideas. (warning cute cat figurines below prepare yourselves)
Her work is reminiscent of folk art, she is telling us stories from a myriad of cultures, you can tell she enjoys her work there is a playful undertone to her ceramic and illustration work.
If you have a gander through her blog on tumblr (see link below) it gives you an insight into the creation of her work that shows an interesting development from initial ideas to finished pieces which honestly is lovely. It is refreshing for an artist to show the bare bones behind their ideas. (warning cute cat figurines below prepare yourselves)
There is also an exciting outlet of Rosie’s illustrations if you pop over to http://new.comique.co/ you can read her on-line comic “Red Earth Legend” which it beautifully illustrated showing us a wonderful narrative. These images could easily stand alone as individual pieces of art yet they make for a fun on-line comic strip, here at Aesthetic Oddities we hope to see more from Rosie's mythical comics.
We had a chat with Rosie...
1. Which comes first in your practice; illustration or ceramics ?
In terms of ideas, illustration usually comes first. I did an Illustration BA at Brighton University a couple years ago, and so I guess that training will always influence how I work a bit. When I am working on a project I will usually start with drawing, then writing and finally working in 3D. Although I often start on paper, I would say my pieces are never quite complete until they make it to 3D form. Even when I am painting I won't feel it is finished until it becomes an object in itself. So that ends up with me drawing on cardboard boxes, painting on oddly cut pieces of scrap wood found down at the shipping yard near my house... and varnishing afterwards to make the drawings feel really permanent. It's so satisfying when you can make art feel like a treasure.
2. Is there a particular culture where your folklore/myth inspiration comes from? if you have a favourite why?
That's a hard one to answer... I am drawn to the mythology of a few different cultures. Aesthetically I take huge influence from eastern symbolism, Japanese folklore; forest spirits, enlightened hermits... also I love representations of Indian and Tibetan Bon deities. It is all so new and fresh to me as someone who grew up in an English 'Shire'. But then I can never turn away from my roots, that Celtic influence is also there. One of my favourite symbols is the 'Ouroboros' snake eating it's own tail, depicting ancient concepts of eternity and the repeating cycle of life.
For the last year I have been really fascinated by symbols from various cross-culture mythologies. Often I will find the same or similar imagery can be found in stories formed in different parts of the world and sometimes even different time periods all together! Joseph Campbell refers to these coincidences as 'Mono-myth'; the idea being that there could be a story that all humans know deep down, and we are just finding different ways of representing it. To me, that sounds a bit like Carl Jung's dream-psychology. Along with Cambell's 'Power of Myth', Manly P. Hall's works also compile lots of research and draw connections between all the different stories and perspectives: I would definitely recommend these guys if anyone's interested in those kind of ideas.
3. What is the next step for you and your work?
Next steps... Thematically I have some new projects in mind, I really want to make some ceramic sculptures with very organic forms- characters based on plants maybe... I've been reading about farming recently! I'm so amazed by people who can encourage things to grow. Plants are awesome in their capability to unfold from tiny seeds and the folk that understand that process are so intrinsic to the way humans fit into the world. That is a cool boundary to explore.
I recently harvested some of my own clay from the Avon River in Bristol, and threw some pots out of it. It felt so good to find what I needed to make art right on my doorstep in nature! I want to find more of those moments, where it feels like there's a place in the world that we can fit right into without making too much fuss.
I guess I also have some next steps in terms of physically where I am... I have been in Bristol for the past year- an amazing place of artistic things, good beer and counter culture. Now I am in London for the next few months where I am planning the next HUGE move to the States! Lots of exciting things to come next year so watch out!
4. As someone who works between two practices is there anything else you would like to try?
I think I could really get my teeth into silver smithing, it's another one of those practices that straddles the bridge between illustrative and sculptural work nicely.
Also...I would love to know how to carve bowls out of wood! Like in Studio Ghibli's movie 'Princess Kaguya'!
So if you around London or fancy an adventure check out DIY art fairs and Independent Ceramic's Market in Hackney over the next few months see. http://www.hackneyfleamarket.com/ for details where Rosie's work can be found.
Where can you find Rosie Brand
Website: http://www.rosiebrand.com/Portfolio
Blog: http://rosiebrand.tumblr.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosieposiepo
Shop: http://rosiebrand.bigcartel.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/rosieposiepo/