Rosemarie Smith   

Artist Statement

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My paintings are about the present moment and being more conscious of life as it happens. Painting my daughters, grandchildren and their friends is a way to spend intimate moments with them during special moments of our lives. As a mother, I try to capture my daughters’ and granddaughter’s personalities to ultimately express their nature and feature their uniqueness and identity. My eldest daughter, a science teacher is reserved and shy while my younger daughter is quite the opposite. As a Child Entertainer, she loves being the center of attention and enjoys posing and modeling for me. My granddaughter, Zoe takes after her mother and is a ‘social butterfly,’ always ready for the next party. I like to paint my girls having fun playing in the yard or at the beach, interacting with each other, or simply sitting in the sun and lost in thought.

In Her Special Day, I captured my eldest daughter as her sister and her best friend are hurriedly fastening the buttons on her gown as she calmly contemplates and envisions her wedding day. I utilize paints that contain walnut oil, as I believe this medium enhances the pigments thus providing a vivid palette of colors and a lively appearance. This is evident in my painting In My Garden, as the little girl’s rich flesh tones and striking florescent white dress are nicely balanced against nature’s flowering rose and green garden background.

My inspiration comes from my girls and I enjoy capturing their expressions and movements, which elicit strong feelings of warmth and love. It is my intent to create paintings that will be passed down to loved ones and my hope is that they become cherished heirlooms and provide immeasurable meaning and a record for many generations to come. That is why I paint people who are inspirational to me and close to my heart.