Rosemary Upton – A Potpourri of Individualism

Rosemary Upton – A Potpourri of Individualism

‘Art is not what you see but what you make others see‘ Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

For this exhibition I have been exploring the innermost reaches of my soul. I am searching with majestic slowness, an approach to painting that expresses and satisfies my subconsciousness, appeases my passion and sometimes reflects the turmoil of my changing moods. I want there always to be found a calmness of colour a quiet resting place and a solid rolling uninterrupted adventure in my lines. I experiment, expand and modify both style and technique striving vigorously to remain an individualist and to achieve an artistic potpourri for the scrutiny of the observer. Perhaps someone surveying the final presentation of my works could think that after so many decades of intensely productive painting and drawing …why am I still searching? To this I must answer that I have a profound belief in the perpetuity of my search to discover what might, one day, be the ultimate fulfilment of my desires through an ever changing body of accomplishments. I suspect my searching will never stop. Some vestige of this feeling remains fresh within me and comfortingly normal but exciting and leads me to the mystery of what will be my next realisations of artistic expression. …and so I will keep on delving deep into my soul and continue my passion to create a potpourri of individualism.

‘What is known and expected dulls our sensitivity to other forms even with the most obvious. We must rub our eyes and look again, clear our minds of what we are looking for to see what is there.’ David Malouf Remembering Babylon 1994

Exhibition Catalogue

Rosemary Upton – Biography

Art was always an important focus in my childhood. At a very early age I was selected on scholarship to be tutored by Vida Lahey at the old Qld Museum & Art Gallery, Bowen Hills, Brisbane. I furthered my artistic studies at the Brisbane Technical Art College, when I completed my schooling. At the age of 16 years, I was employed as a cadet artist for the Courier Mail newspaper, Brisbane. While I was still a Cadet I was assigned by the Social Editor to attend theatre openings, race meetings and other notable and social events, to sketch people and their fashion trends. I moved to Sydney and became an Illustrative Artist for the Sydney Morning Herald, a short story illustrator for the Sun Herald and Woman’s day magazine. My childhood dream was realised when I was asked to illustrate the prestigious colour double page spread of fashion in Woman’s Day. I considered myself fortunate that my career was in an era that embraced fashion illustrations rather than photography. I enjoyed great popularity and demand for my works in the 1960’s and 70’s with my drawings appearing in journals, including Woman’s day, The Sydney Morning Herald, Woman’s weekly, Vogue Magazine and others. It was a natural progression that I branched into illustrating children’s’ books and short stories for various publishers. Creating portraits including miniatures for private collections and tutoring children was an enjoyable period of my early career. Since then I have won many awards for my paintings and drawings and held several Solo Exhibitions. The most highly successful one being held at the Tweed River and Margaret Olley Centre.