Every month Brave Island runs a Young Creative of the Month fund, where we spotlight a local young creative with an interview on our blog, and support them with funding of £100. This month its artist Rosie Fennell. This fund launches at the beginning of every month, you can apply to be Young Creative of the Month for June here.
Please can you tell us about your creative practice?
I am a self-taught oil painter with a passion for portraits. What draws me in the most is the intimacy of the process, getting to know my sitters through painting them and aiming to capture their essence in a way that feels vibrant and alive. I began painting 4 years ago with some portraits of loved ones, and I completely fell in love with the medium. Since then I’ve taken on a range of commissions, and most recently, I’ve finished a portrait of Robert Thompson MBE. I photographed him during the renovation of his restaurant in Ryde. It’s a playful and candid portrait, two themes I strive for in my work.
Alongside commissions, I have been developing a more experimental body of figurative work. I have named these my “Hypotheticals”. I paint almost human figures, with the goal of immortalising and a way to reflect on my complicated feelings around flesh and the human experience. I’m particularly interested in how our physical forms relate to the stories, emotions and contradictions we carry.
Where do you draw influence from for the art you create?
My biggest influence is probably my parents, both creative in their own right. I spent my childhood being taught how to look and really see with intention. That early foundation in observation has stayed with me. Much of my practise is rooted in studying people: their expressions, mannerisms and the unspoken details of how they move through the world.
I draw a lot from art history, especially portraiture and figurative works by the old masters. I love visiting galleries and often plan trips abroad around them, it’s an ongoing source of inspiration.
Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that you’re particularly excited about, or perhaps a dream project you’d love to bring to life?
I am thrilled to be exhibiting as part of Fringe Arts Bath 2025 exhibition Lusus Naturae, with a piece called The Butchery. The painting depicts a hairless, genderless, almost human figure. An ambiguous presence that could represent either the soul itself or of our flesh without the wounds that we naturally gain over time. We each have numerous scars, veins and marks that are unique to us and our story. These only have meaning to us, and those with whom we choose to share, our close community. Sometimes they link us to experiences we would like to forget, or they’re simply part of us. The Butchery aims to question whether our physical scars would hold as much weight if parted with our soul. Would we carry the same emotional wounds that can indeed manifest physically, once stripped of our physical bodies? The Butchery invites the viewer to consider. I am building a body of work with the goal of having a sequential exhibition, with a beginning and an end. I want to take people on a journey of thought provoking figurative art, through my own experiences of love, loss, grief, and ultimately a sense of hope and anticipation for what’s to come.
Where can people find your work if they’d like to support you?
My portrait of Lord Lieutenant Susie Sheldon is currently on display for the IW Open Studios 2025 Showcase Exhibition at Quay Arts until the end of May. During Open Studios, I’ll also be based on the second floor of Jubilee Stores. (17th, 18th, 23rd and 24th May, from 11am – 4pm).
You can find some of my work on my Instagram, @rosiefennellart – though I don’t post nearly as often as I should! A dedicated website is in the works.
