Rosemary Gates
My work is inspired by the natural world. Starting points involve observation, photography, sketching and sometimes collage.
I enjoy using acrylic paint and the freedom that it gives. The quick drying time of this medium allows over painting in a short time which suits the way I work and enables me to develop a painting as I go along. When the composition is resolved I will often use oil paint on top of part of the work. The compositions are made using a mixture of large and small gestural strokes very much influenced by the work of Abstract Expressionists such as Joan Mitchell and Willem de Kooning.
It is not my intention to create a recognizable image but rather to conjure a sense of place, an emotional response to the world I live in. Colour plays an important part in achieving this; sometimes the colour is sombre, almost as if the natural world is reflecting the sad times we have to endure, but more often, it provides the colour and shape I long to create in an abstract way.
