I'm thrilled to be a part of the Brunswick Street Gallery’s annual exhibition for the Small Works Art Prize.
I have 2 series of paintings in this exhibition, 7 paintings in total, all 12" x 12" on canvas.
All of my paintings in this exhibition are available for purchase through the gallery throughout the exhibition period.
About the “Can You Hear the Light Dance?” series
How would you describe the feeling of the last golden rays of autumn afternoon sunlight on your skin, and the sound of the light breeze dancing through the leaves to someone who could not hear or feel it, but who had full sight? This series is my attempt to do this.
Painted outside in the last golden light hour of the autumn day, over the course of several weeks, sometimes without looking at the canvas but painting the dance of the leaves as I watched them, feeling it through my arms and letting it lead my brush across the canvas.
“Can you hear the light dance? #1”, acrylic on canvas, 12” x 12”, Rose Wintergreen, 2019
“Can you hear the light dance? #2”, acrylic on canvas, 12” x 12”, Rose Wintergreen 2019
“Can you hear the light dance? #3”, acrylic on canvas, 12” x 12”, Rose Wintergreen 2019
About the “What if Everything Went Right?” series
What if I spent more time imagining everything going right than I did worrying about things going wrong? What would life look like? How would the day feel? How would my body feel? What about my spirit?
As a born-worrier and someone who has been prone to periods of depression, I have been consciously playing with doing things that may rewire my brain to the positive, including daily gratitude journalling immediately before sleep (when the brain is the most likely to worry, but also more susceptible to change).
Martin Seligman, a researcher famously known for his work on hope and optimism, says one of the most powerful things we can do is reimagine we are re-experiencing each item on our gratitude list in as much detail as possible: remembering the smells, the sounds, any tactile sensation, and the feeling in our body, along with the visuals.
I prepared for each painting session by meditating on happy memories in detail, then did something that made my soul and body sing, like a walk in the sunshine and a chat with a friend.
I painted listening to music that I associate happy memories with: times I felt most confident and free, often singing and dancing. If the feeling slipped to worry, I made myself stop until I could get back to that headspace again.
One week before I finished these, I found out someone very close to me is not going to be able to beat their cancer. Completing these paintings was one of the hardest things I have ever done. At the time, I thought: this is the worst time to have this deadline. But maybe it was the best time.
“What if everything went right? #1”, acrylic on canvas, 12” x 12”, Rose Wintergreen, 2019
“What if everything went right? #2”, acrylic on canvas, 12” x 12”, Rose Wintergreen, 2019
“What if everything went right? #3”, acrylic on canvas, 12” x 12”, Rose Wintergreen, 2019
“What if everything went right? #4”, acrylic on canvas, 12” x 12”, Rose Wintergreen, 2019
About the show
Brunswick Street Gallery’s annual Small Works Art Prize is an open call art prize featuring works no larger than 35x35x35cm.
Attracting thousands of visitors and featuring over 600 artworks by hundreds of artists of all experience levels and styles, Small Works Art Prize gives our local and extended creative community the opportunity to exhibit in a prize show context amongst peers.
Small Works Art Prize is proudly supported by Clifton Hill/North Fitzroy Community Bank® Branch of Bendigo Bank.The Small Works Art Prize include hundreds of other artists showcasing works measuring under 35x35x35cm.
Exhibition details
Opening night: Friday, 28 June, 6-9pm.
Exhibition dates: 26 June – 18 July 2019.
Brunswick Street Gallery
Level 1, 322 Brunswick St
Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.
Gallery Hours: 10am-6pm
Tuesday – Sunday (Closed Monday)