Rosie James is a textile artist from Rochester, England. She captures human nature using machine and hand embroidery, immortalising fleeting moments that might escape us otherwise.
Rosie describes her pieces as stitched paintings, and the subjects of her paintings tend to be visitors of places – museums, train stations, supermarkets…
Rosie has a terrific eye for detail and her technical skill in recreating human behaviour in stitched form is remarkable, catching snapshots of people on the move, and minding their own business. These moments are often fleeting and when you’re in them, it’s rare to take this much time to absorb what’s going on. Rosie gives you permission to stop and stare.
Her pieces are large, often over a metre in length, and combined different textiles with the stitching to create depth and interest. She leaves messages and hints about the subjects of pieces throughout her work, allowing you to uncover more narrative as you explore.
But she’s not afraid of the smaller works, and I love the way she uses the backgrounds as narrative tools in some, while leaving them out in others. The absence of scenery in many of these pieces adds to the sense of emptiness and ennuie.
Rosie’s body of work is really enjoyable to look at and her portfolio keeps growing, so be sure to check out her website and her Instagram to keep up with her creativity!