Artist Spotlight: Rosie Barker
We’re delighted to launch our Artist Spotlight series as part of Herts Open Studios which is running this September. Our first artist is painter Rosie Barker. Rosie’s work explores still life and portraiture, drawing out beauty in the everyday with a contemporary sensibility rooted in classical technique.
Rosie has always made art, but her path became clear when she joined an informal apprenticeship with traditional figurative painter James Gillick. For a full year she worked alongside him and two other young artists, an experience that shaped both her skill and her confidence to pursue a career as an artist. Gillick also nurtured her interest in still life, a subject she continues to return to.
Oil paint has become her medium of choice, not only for its flexibility but also for the rhythm and ritual it brings. From drawing and underpainting to mixing a palette and preparing the canvas, Rosie describes the process as meditative, a daily practice she relishes as much as the finished work itself.
Her influences range widely. In still life, she looks to contemporary painters such as Janet Rickus and Blair Atherholt, who bring a fresh perspective to what can sometimes be seen as a traditional subject. In portraiture, she finds inspiration in the luminous works of John Singer Sargent and contemporary artist Jamie Coreth.
Janet Rickus
Blair Atherholt
After a hiatus working in marketing and PR, Rosie returned to painting full-time, bringing with her valuable lessons in how to promote her practice. A typical day now begins with admin so that she can clear her mind before heading into the studio between 10 and 11am. She always has at least two paintings on the go to allow for drying time, often working into the evening if she finds herself in the zone. She breaks the day with a trip to the gym, a rhythm that balances the intensity of studio work with a physical reset.
Silence is rare in her practice. Instead, she often listens to audiobooks, each painting carrying with it a secret story connected to whatever book she had in her ears at the time. “I like this,” she explains, “as it means the painting has a story only I know.”
When asked what she hopes people take from her work, Rosie says she wants them to find beauty in the ordinary, a sense of appreciation for form, colour, and the details of everyday life.
She cites Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by John Singer Sargent at Tate Britain as one of her favourite works of art, a painting she returns to again and again. Further afield, she draws inspiration from Italy, particularly Florence and Bologna - not only for their abundance of art but also for their architecture and ancient atmosphere.
You can explore more of Rosie’s work on her website (www.rebart.co.uk) and Instagram (@rosieelizabethbarker).
Rosie, along with a handful of other artists, will be transforming the upstairs gallery at St Albans Town Hall into their own working studio this September. You’ll be able to see them painting in person on 6–7th and 26–28th September, 10.00–17.00.
