We caught up with artist Rosie Brewer to explore the process behind her wonderful carved wood creations for the Konrad Mägi exhibition.
Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
I'm Rosie Brewer and I have been a self-employed designer-maker woodworker for the past 14 years. I graduated from Camberwell College of Arts back in 2012 with a degree in 3D Design. I relocated back to my hometown in Devon and have been working in wood ever since.
How do you describe your practice?
I am drawn to carving functional items which can be useful as well as being beautiful objects. Many of my pieces are to do with the rituals of eating and mealtimes, serving boards, spoons and other utensils for the kitchen.
How do you source your materials?
I use mostly locally sourced woods from Devon, I get offcuts from other timber workers and furniture makers and know a few local sawmills to hunt for wood.
I always look for the more interesting bits of wood, something that has an unusual marking, grain, or colouring. I like to make this a feature in whatever I am creating and I just use a clear danish oil to bring out the natural colour of the wood. It also makes it somewhat water resistant and more hardwearing when it comes to the wood getting wet and dry multiple times in its use.
Can you tell us about the process of carving the works?
When carving shapes like the cloud dishes, I think about how the grain changes when you carve through the layers, often creating contour-like lines which enhance the 3D shape of the cloud recess. I was inspired by the wonderful swirly skyscapes in the work by Konrad Mägi and wanted to give a nod to them with the cloud dish collection.
I hope people can come away with a little memento in the form of a piece of functional artwork which reminds them of the time they went along to Dulwich PictureGallery and saw the exhibition.
Why is it important to you as an artist to collaborate with cultural organisations?
It is always exciting to collaborate with cultural organisations like Dulwich Picture Gallery, I enjoy the limiting constraints which a brief usually has and inspires me in my own practice to experiment with new ideas as well.
On this project I have really enjoyed working with the team to create something we both think would work in the space and has a subtle link to the exhibition whilst still remaining true to my own style of creations.
