Artist: Rosie Parsonson

Ceramic stoneware plate plate - glazed Dimensions: 26cm Title : Rose

Rosie creates lively and visually challenging works – in painting and as objects. She frequently adorns human figures with heads of animals. Curator Vaughan Gunson from Whangarei’s Geoff Wilson Gallery recently described Rosie’s work as “human figures – male and female – that have heads of dogs, rabbits, bulls, and other animals. The success of these paintings is the body language in combination with the expressions of the animal heads. They evoke very human emotions, from ecstasy to anguish. They speak of our ‘animal desires’ and our human fragility”.

Beautifully executed and nonchalantly refined, Rosie’s work is an exploration of the viewer’s response to her work as much as the work itself. Her portraiture work makes eye contact as you gaze in – the portraits look back, enchant and challenge.

Rosie also works in collaboration with Richard Darbyshire, where her illustrations and interpretations of her painting ornament the surface of ceramic vessels, plates and ornamental objects.

Part of The Great Plate fundraiser 2017, this work has been donated to The Quarry Arts Centre in the hope that it will find a home with a buyer and arts supporter, just like you! All proceeds go directly into the development and maintenance of one of New Zealand’s most historical and thriving creative spaces. With a long reputation in supporting local artisans and providing a platform for Whangarei’s creative community, we hope you will consider bidding, and help The Quarry Arts Centre continue its creative mission!