Rowena Quill graduated with a BA Honours degree in Printmaking and Contemporary Practice from the Limerick School of Art and Design in 2013. She went on to became a member of Limerick Printmakers; an Art Council funded studio in Ireland where she began her career as a full time printmaker, specialising in screen print.
Rowena’s first big break came in 2017 when she exhibited a collection of work in Dubai. This series was her first full body of work on a botanical subject matter. Although elements of nature had always been present in her work, this was a turning point for Rowena as she decided to make work that she truly loved and wanted to see in this world. This collection of work is vibrant, with a deep consideration for colour and layers. “Above all I wanted the work to be beautiful and to shake off the Art School teaching model of concept first, make after. I wanted to be present in the making so the ideas would grow through my hands throughout the process” describes the artist.
She has since continued to exhibit nationally and internationally. Rowena was recently invited to participate in LP at 20, an exhibition which celebrated the 20 year lifespan of Limerick Printmakers. The studio is a space that is housed in a former limestone townhouse. Built in 1751, the workshop is steeped in history and character, and buzzes with printmakers on a daily basis. Rowena is proud to be part of the exciting community of artists that abound the premises.
When producing her prints, as a self admitted perfectionist, Rowena creates layers of colour and intricate patterns, resulting in multi dimensional artworks. Taking inspiration from renaissance interiors, nature, animals, colours and botany, her prints are built up using many layers of colour, adding depth and vibrancy. She uses oil based ink to mono print her block colour bases onto Fabriano Rosaspina, and then screen prints on top of these using water based inks. Although her practice is technical, not all problems encountered are solved before she prints; “things change, disrupt, move, colour flares, jump forward and transition until I am satisfied that the results embody the emotion and moment in which I want the print to live... my work is an engagement of time and moments”. Her work draws from the age old study of beauty in nature, and is injected with 21st Century chaos that desperately seeks order.
Rowena has recently begun the early stages of a collaboration with Iris Skateboards, San Francisco, after a successful exchange of work and squeegee. “Reaching out and connecting with the printmaking community is important to me, and is something I intend to continue to pursue. The world seems huge but the printmaking world is accessible and exciting, open and welcoming” states the printmaker.
In early 2020, Rowena’s print, Pollen, was acquired by the University of Limerick, as part of its national public collection. It will be displayed in the architecturally redesigned Glucksman Library. Her most recent projects include an upcoming collaborative exhibition with The Ink Shop, New York, which will be exhibited in 2020 in New York, USA and Limerick, Ireland.
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