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rosie a. dillon
About meHi! my name is rosie
I’m a Bristol-based oil painter, working mainly in portraiture.
I paint because I love it. I love the process of getting better, the challenge of trying to make a face feel like a real person, and the fact that someone might see something I’ve painted and want to take it home with them.
I find faces difficult to paint, which is probably part of why I’m so drawn to them. They’re incredibly expressive, and a portrait can feel surprisingly personal and intimate. I’m interested in the things a face can communicate without saying anything — loneliness, nostalgia, loss, strength and moments of quietness.
My paintings are loose, rough and painterly, but I like bringing delicacy and bright colour into them too. I’m still figuring out exactly what my work is trying to say, and a lot of my practice right now is about learning: understanding faces, becoming more confident with paint and finding my own way of working.
In time, I want to move towards painting more from my own experiences and the subjects that feel harder to put into words. For now, I’m enjoying the process of becoming the painter I want to be.
❋ Early Beginnings I began my artistic journey as a child, whether it began with rummaging through mum’s makeup drawer or scavenging through dad’s toolbox to create sculptures with stones and nails. Throughout the years, I experimented with drawing and crafts. I could only use glitter in the kitchen.
I first realised how much I loved making things at school during my Design & Technology classes. I was lucky to have a teacher who really paid attention to me. He was inquisitive about the things I was interested in, encouraged my hobbies and gave me the freedom to explore them. I think that stayed with me. BIG thanks to Mr Dashwood, I owe a little chunk of who I am to him.
I always struggled with subjects where there was one right answer.
In maths, 1 + 1 = 2. But in art, 1 + 1 = what, exactly?
❋ Growing PainsI didn’t think art was something I could have a career in, so when I left school I went to university to study forensic psychology. At the time, I mainly wanted to get out of my family home, and my interest in psychology had come partly from watching far too much true crime. University didn’t turn out to be the path I expected.
Alongside it, I started making jewellery from polymer clay and opened a Depop shop. I loved the freedom of it. I made things for people to wear, and I remember how exciting it was when my colleagues would buy my jewellery and actually wear it to work. I think, without really knowing it, I was already building a life around making things.
I dropped out of University in my final year, knowing that becoming a woman in STEM was never for me. I was going through a difficult period in my life and had lost a lot of my sense of direction. I didn’t really know who I was or what I wanted my future to look like.
❋ Evolution in ArtistryI don’t remember a single moment when I decided to become an artist. I just kept gravitating back towards making things.
I started painting with acrylics and watercolour before a very talented friend encouraged me to try oils. She has been a huge influence on my development as a painter and has helped me grow in ways I’m incredibly grateful for. Then I painted my Green Lady. It was the point I finally thought that I could really do this for a living.
Painting gave me a reason to think about my future again, something to work towards and, eventually, hope that I could build a life I actually wanted.
❋ The PresentRight now, my focus is on finding my voice as an artist and figuring out the direction I want to take. I’ve been taking commissions for the time being, which have been a fun outlet for when I am unsure what I’d like to paint. I also enjoy seeing the reaction when people receive their commission.
I’m still finding my feet as an artist. I’m still learning, experimenting and figuring out what I want my work to become. But for the first time, I feel like I’m moving towards something rather than away from something.