Rosemary Allen is an Art of Austin artist! Get to know more about her and her work!
Rosemary Allen
AoA – How long have you been in Austin and how did you find your way here?
Rosemary – I’ve been in Austin for a little over 4 years. I moved to Texas in 2007 and lived in different areas that I didn’t align with. I desired to be in a city that fed my creative soul and made the move with my best friend.
AoA – When did you realize that you were an artist?
Rosemary – As far back as I can remember I identified as an artist. I remember being in kindergarten and saying I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. I wore a beret and kids called me Picasso.
AoA – Can you speak to your art training?
Rosemary – I am predominantly self taught. My mom went to school for art education and taught me some basics as an adolescent. I spent as much time as I could in the art room at school growing up. After highschool I took a drawing and painting class at Blinn College in College Station before I realized community college wasn’t for me. After that I began experimenting on my own. My most recent training was a visionary art intensive with Alex and Allyson Grey at OMEGA Institute in New York in 2015. That was a really powerful experience and I look forward to taking more intensive trainings in the future.
AoA – Who are some artists that you look to?
Rosemary – The works of Alex Grey and Mark Ryden were life changing for me. Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings and her badass attitude towards life inspires me. Currently I really look up to Collin Elder, Josie Morway, Flip Solomon, and Vanessa Foley. I really enjoy their use of animals in their work.
AoA – Where do you derive inspiration from?
Rosemary – My inspiration derives from visions and life experiences. I had a near death experience in 2016 where I suffered head trauma and had to be resuscitated and it completely changed my outlook on life and connection to subject matter. The symbolism of nature plays a huge part in my inspiration. More than ever birds seem to be showing up in my life and in my work carrying messages. I’ve had countless visions during sessions over the years working as a massage therapist. I’m also immensely inspired by my love, fellow painter, and collaborative partner, Juan Villegas.
AoA – Can you tell us a little bit about your work?
Rosemary – I create my work to invoke the power to heal and transform the viewer. The subject matter portrays a direct reflection of my own self work and emotional processing. I create art as a meditative practice. Each of my spirit animal paintings represent a state of transformation and growth that I have experienced and my intention is that they assist in the progression of maturity and awareness of the human experience in all.
AoA – Can you talk a little about your creative processes in creating?
Rosemary – For me it all starts with a vision or a sign. Once I am drawn to a subject or idea I research it to have a deeper understanding. As I begin to understand my subject I embody the feeling and that’s when I paint. I work with acrylics, metal leaf, and watercolours and have recently started using oils. I find myself working best when I create a soothing atmosphere for the process, candles, incense, and coffee are my favorite things to help set the mood and invoke the muse.
AoA – If you could own one piece from a living artist, who would it be?
Rosemary – Mark Ryden
AoA – Where can we find your work? Do you have any shows planned for the future?
Rosemary – You can find my work at Art For The People Gallery in the Art of Celebration show Feb. 9th thru April 3rd. You can also find my work the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month at Cherry Cola Dog for the Art Will Save Us shows. I also have a website where I sell prints and my apparel line.
Connect with Rosemary!
