Rosi Robinson

Rosi, one of our MA Fine Art students, tells me about being selected for Saatchi Online:
“I was totally unprepared to read the email from Rebecca Wilson (curator,Saatchi Online) saying that I had been included as one of 42 emergent artists in an online weekly selection. I also received another email a few days later saying I had also been picked to be in another new selection, that of new emerging artists on ‘artist of the day’…. so could I update my page and send a photo of me in my studio.
In February I had created and entered my painting ‘Geoscape’ into the Saatchi Online ‘colour showdown’, but as there were well over 6,000 entrants I wasn’t surprised to not be in final 300 selection. I have entered ‘showdown’ several times in last two years as it doesn’t cost anything, and I have twice been selected – once into final 30, and then into final 300 selection.
I’m not sure how this effects my work, except in knowing that I have been noticed does give me a personal boost. However, it also puts a certain kind of pressure / expectation on me to achieve. It also takes me time to update pages, website etc. when I would rather be painting. Perhaps this maybe not be such a bad thing as I know certain challenges can sharpen/ refine my ideas; which I suppose is why I sent my work to Saatchi in the first place.
I also suppose it’s also why I enroled with OCA in September 2013 on the MA in Fine Art course …. and I’m so glad I did. I have since moved from the Isle of Man to N.Yorkshire and the course is giving me the challenge of a creative framework, alongside the supportive community of cohort of students, tutors and back up technicians.
Art for me is not really about being noticed or winning competitions (of which I need to remind myself) but about being personally challenged – to be an authentic artist in my own developing arts practice – to allow myself the challenge of not knowing what to do next, or to fail as a necessary part of hopefully gaining new growth and depth. That’s why I’m so glad to be with OCA and the MA framework until 2016… this year is passing so challengingly and interestingly fast…in fact too fast.”
Images
1. ‘3 vessels’ (Saatchi Showdown ‘collage’, final 30 selection),
2. ‘New York’ (saatchi showdown ‘bright lights, big city’, final 300 selection)
3. ‘Geoscape’ (entered but not selected for ‘colour’ showdown; recently featured on Saatchi’s online ’emergent artists of the week’ page.)