The Water, Like Glass

Born and raised in Gartocharn on the shores of Loch Lomond, Rosanne Barr exhibited great artistic talent from a young age. She went on to study at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee where she graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Painting. Rosanne currently works from her garden studio in Milngavie.

Rosanne’s paintings are evocative and atmospheric memory-scapes. Rosanne spent her childhood visiting the Western Isles with her parents in a touring caravan, finding the most remote places. Once there they would leave the house without a specific plan or destination. Rosanne remembers starting to record the waves on her Mum’s voice recorder so that she could take the waves home with her. As an artist, Rosanne approaches her blank canvas in a similar way: without a destination in mind but with a wish to record something of the stirring and evocative power of some of Scotland’s remote places.

Utilising the thick, glossy qualities of oil paint allows Rosanne to build up layers that mimic depth and texture within a particular composition, deftly blending multiple pigments into rugged rocky formations with a palette knife and contrasting them with reflective bodies of water rendered in smooth, long brushstrokes. Applying paint directly to the canvas with minimal planning also allows for the canvas to become the palette itself, lending a spontaneity to the process where instinctive decisions can lead to the discovery of new techniques.

Click here to hear Rosanne talking about her practice.