This is Disruption
This is Disruption podcast explores the pursuit of creativity and shares the stories of the fearless creators in street art, graffiti, music, photography and beyond, who boldly challenge the status quo, break barriers for others and share their work unapologetically. Each episode is a deep dive interview exploring the lives of artistic risk takers, exploring their motivations, their inspirations, and their take on the power of art, in whatever form they make it in.
The podcast is hosted by Irish street artist and DJ, Did by Rua, based in London.
This is Disruption
Rosie Woods: Blending Realism and Abstraction in Street Art
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What drives an artist to move from traditional painting methods for the raw energy of street art? Rosie Woods, the visionary muralist known for her stunning large-scale works and innovative use of textures and light, joins us for this episode of This is Disruption to shed light on her incredible artistic journey. Discover how a childhood passion for art evolved into a full-blown career. Rosie’s story is a testament to the power of persistence, as she navigates the delicate balance between abstraction and realism in her work, creating visually striking pieces that captivate audiences worldwide.
Rosie opens up about her pivotal transition from traditional painting to street art, spurred by frustrations with airbrushes and a newfound love for spray paint. Hear about her early experiments on garage walls and the invaluable mentorship from the Graffiti Life collective that honed her skills. This episode dives deep into the emotional support she received from her family, especially the poignant memories of encouragement from her late parents and the ongoing inspiration she draws from her siblings and young niece.
Follow Rosie’s artistic evolution as she takes us from London’s gritty street art scene to the vibrant murals of Melbourne. Initially planning a short trip, Rosie’s stay in Australia extended into seven years of artistic growth and personal discovery, including meeting her partner and moving to a seaside town. Explore her seamless blend of commercial work with her distinct style and her (hopefully soon to be fulfilled!) dreams of painting at legendary Wynwood Walls in Miami. From the challenges and triumphs in Melbourne to the culturally rich landscape of London, Rosie's journey highlights the importance of community and self-belief in the world of street art.
As I mentioned in the episode, you can check out Rosie's Art CV here:
And find her on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/itsrosiewoods/
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Hello there. You are very welcome to. This is Disruption podcast, with me, your host Rua. This podcast brings you in-depth interviews with the fearless creatives in street art, graffiti, music, photography and beyond, who boldly challenge the status quo, break barriers for others and share their work unapologetically. Each episode is a deep dive into the lives of artistic risk takers, exploring their motivations, their inspirations and their reasons for their willingness to disrupt societal norms. Some of these stories involve revolutionising their industries, while others are pushing the boundaries of legality with their art. Coming up on today's episode.
Speaker 2:They just put their mind to it and they do it. And seeing that, especially at an early age, was just so encouraging, like when people were saying to me, you can't do this. I'm like I know I can, like I'm seeing people do it. So, yeah, I've definitely taken that on in life. It's like they say, like if you can imagine it, it can be done. And people are doing new things all the time, like I had no idea this would be a career you just got to follow. Whatever that niggle is.
Speaker 1:In today's episode, I am talking to Rosie Woods. Rosie is an incredibly talented artist and muralist who is known for her massive, breathtaking murals and her dynamic studio work. Rosie is a huge inspiration to me personally. I tried very hard not to fangirl while I was having this conversation, but I didn't do very well. She is so talented and such a lovely person and I am so excited to share this conversation with you. So, as always, sit back, enjoy or, even better, go and make something as you. Listen to this and welcome back to another episode of this Is Disruption. Hello everybody, I am so excited to be talking to Rosie Woods today.
Speaker 1:Rosie is originally from London. She came back recently from Australia, where she is now living, and blew the street art community away with an incredible piece of art. It was all over my feed. I couldn't believe the talent that I was seeing and I was like who is this person? I found out a little bit more about Rosie Woods. She is an incredible artist and has such a unique style that I cannot wait to discuss. Rosie, how are you doing?
Speaker 2:Oh, my gosh blushing. I think that was such a lovely introduction. Thank you, I'm good, I'm very good. How are you?
Speaker 1:I'm really good. Thank you, that's a very, very brief introduction on my part, because you have got so much experience and there's so many different things that you've worked in, so I'd love to hand it over to you and tell us, in your own words, a little bit about who you are and what do you do.
Speaker 2:Oh, gosh, yeah, you've got me thinking now. I have done a few things over the years. So my name's Rosie Woods. I suppose in my heart of hearts I think of myself primarily as a street artist, but actually I spend most of my time these days well, I'd say maybe 70% in the studio, 30% painting murals. So, visual artist, I'm really interested in work that balances on there, that crosses the line between abstraction and realism. It's like real blurry line like real blurry line.
Speaker 1:Let's talk a little bit about that because, as I said, when you came to London, I saw this almost indescribable golden art piece, like this huge mural up here on my feet, and I was like, what is this? It was abstract hyper-realism, if is the only way that you can kind of describe it. Now a little bit about me and anyone who knows about the art that I like and the things I like to make. I love everything holographic and neon and glittery. You can paint hollow, rosie. I don't know how you can. You can paint hollow and it's so beautiful. So I would love to hear. What I usually like to start by asking is going all the way back to the beginning. Can you tell me about the first piece of art you ever remember making or liking?
Speaker 2:oh, well, first of all, lovely to meet someone else that also loves shiny things. I'm so interested in textures and light and, yeah, anything holographic shiny I'm into. So nice to meet a fellow one. Okay, my first piece of art. Do you know what my sister used to babysit me? I say babysit? She's about nine years older than me, so when my parents would go we'd just hang out and, um, she was really good at drawing these bunnies. I remember her teaching me how to draw these little bunny rabbits. I'm being so proud of myself for basically copying my big sister in her administration, so that's the first thing that springs to mind yeah, oh, that's cute.
Speaker 1:Have you always had an in art? Was it always something that you planned to pursue?
Speaker 2:Yes, definitely. I had a bit of a wobble when I left school and actually decided to go into marketing for a bit, swiftly came back to art after that. I also decided to study geography at degree level at one point and then left that because I just had the niggle to go back to art again. So although I've gone off course a few times, I do keep jumping like steering back to the art world. But yeah, it was just the thing at school and in life that just came really naturally, just really like just loved it. You know that flow state and just where I felt comfortable and I just had a natural ability there, whereas like other subjects, like English, I've really, really struggled with and languages.
Speaker 1:So I guess you're always drawn to things that you find easier, right yeah, and it's so satisfying if you struggle with another subject and then something comes really naturally that you enjoy.
Speaker 1:The thing about art is you have something beautiful at the end of it yeah if you go and you study geography, which is fine no offense to anybody who loves geography, you can do that. But if you're doing art and you study geography, which is fine no offence to anybody who loves geography, you can do that. But if you're doing art and you find that you're more naturally there, then it flows. If somebody struggles with other subjects, you have something to show at the end of an art class.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, for sure. Even if it's terrible, there's something to show.
Speaker 1:Were you always skilled at art.
Speaker 2:Well, do you know what? It's funny? I've've been thinking about this recently. I am skilled in the area, that I know. But if you ask me to draw something from my imagination now, rubbish.
Speaker 2:I'm not very good at that. I'm really good at observational skills, really good at looking, copying and describing what I see in paint or in pencil, but in terms of just like illustration, I or that sort of side of the art world, I'm not good at that at all. So it's funny. Yeah, I think I've always been good at colours blending realism, but that's my niche, that's. I know, that's where I sit.
Speaker 1:And how did you develop your style? So this is going to be a long answer because there's a lot to cover, but I would love to hear how did it all begin and how did you end up going into this style of art?
Speaker 2:Gosh, yeah, it's been a bit of a journey, hasn't it? Well?
Speaker 1:do you know what?
Speaker 2:It started, I guess, in terms of the realism. I was really interested in portraits. So when I was at school I was doing a lot of portraiture and with that I suppose you get a real quick understanding of colour tone light, dark and obviously if you're trying to make someone look realistic you've got to really concentrate and get your proportions right. So I suppose, in terms of technical skills for realism, that's where that all began. When I studied at uni I did, I studied a fine art degree. That's when some more of the, the concepts that are concepts like art history came into play and there was a lot of talk about how abstract art is a pure human expression, like it's. It's not something that exists in the world readily, that we can, you know directly see. It's something that's a pure yes, come to us from somewhere and it's a an imaginative thing. And that got me really interested in producing something that doesn't exist already but obviously it's part of us as humans. You know, if it's come from me, it is a human thing, but it's it's not in the physical world. So that really started my journey into abstract art, where I was looking at how I could express sort of the internal landscape, which is very abstract and sort of relate it to the physical world. So this is like this abstract realism blend. Yeah, fast forward again.
Speaker 2:I left uni, I studied and I worked with a mural collective in London for four years, which I absolutely loved like some of the best years ever, learned how to paint really large scale, learned how to use spray paint, but at the end of that I lost myself a bit in terms of my own artistic style and practice, because I'd been painting such a variety of things for so long and so many different styles that I'd say like I'm still finding my. I feel like I'm still finding my style my feet now, but I really had to just go back. I felt like going back to square one, like what do I want to paint? What do I find interesting? And at that point I'm I love computers. I'm quite my brain's more mathsy.
Speaker 2:I started discovering people were using, actually on Instagram. I kept seeing these amazing posts where people were creating these really realistic images, but they were totally abstract and I was like how is that being made? How is that possible? I kept seeing this hashtag c4d, which translates to cinema 4d, which is a 3d modeling software. I was like that is cool. That's what I want to do. It's like hyper realism, but you can create things that you'd never be able to photograph and that set off a very painful journey of learning 3d modeling software.
Speaker 2:I have spent hours and hours and hours on YouTube learning it yeah so that's where my sort of kind of digital shiny side and realism has come to play out so when you left uni and you went to paint murals was that the plan?
Speaker 1:Did you like? I really want to take to the streets and I want to share this with the world. How did it all come about?
Speaker 2:It all came about because I was using an airbrush when I was at uni and I was painting really big already, so I guess the sort of the large scale was already within me. I was making the biggest canvases I could possibly make. I was making canvases that were over two meters wide, which I was making them out of MDF. So they all buckled. They were not really sound, that's, that's for sure. So I was painting large scale and I was.
Speaker 2:I was interested in the, I guess, the way of applying paint in that spray texture with the airbrush. I kept breaking my airbrush, I kept clogging it and I was getting so frustrated I was like there's got to be another way to do this that doesn't require hours and hours of cleaning this stupid airbrush. So I ordered some spray paint and that kicked off the whole journey, ordered some spray paint. I had no idea what I was doing. Like you pick up these cans for the first time and if no one showed you how to use it or you you've not been watching anyone using it. Honestly, it's just like an alien tool we're going from like a brush and a pencil to this thing with high pressure.
Speaker 2:I had no idea what I was doing. I did loads of horrific murals at this one wall in my garage that my dad let me paint and I didn't know any street artists. I didn't any guys that did. I say guys that did graph, because it was mainly guys that did graffiti there's so many more men than there are women like I.
Speaker 1:Really I really want to talk to more girls and people would love that, but there just aren't that many. I know there's the warm collective and there's some really incredible female artists in London, but it's a lot harder to find even now there's a lot more than then.
Speaker 2:I started using spray paint over 10 years ago now and back then, honestly, like there was a handful of people that I could look up to, particularly like contemporaries, like people I could actually go and chat to like hardly anyone. So I ended up reaching out to this collective called graffiti life that would just start to do, starting to do commercial murals, amazingly, because I had the technical skill of like understanding realism, which meant you could translate to most things. Like anything I gave us to paint, I could technically paint it. It took me under their wing and taught me how to paint properly and at scale and taught me so much about planning projects. And, yeah, it just kickstarted my career, which I'm so grateful for.
Speaker 1:Oh, amazing. I love that you got this opportunity, but it was all because you were brave enough to try.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I suppose so brave or stupid, I don't know one of the two.
Speaker 1:Sometimes it's a very thin line. There's something that you just mentioned and that was how you started out in your garage trying in your garage and giving it a go, and your dad gave you a ball, because my dad has done the same for me and he'll come and he'll be really encouraging. He'll be, like that's great, you have fatherly love glasses on right now. This is not good, but it's that support from family which really means a lot, so have your family always been really supportive of your art.
Speaker 2:Yes and no Like for the most part. Yes, definitely. But you know, I think at school and I understand why there's the narrative of you know you're going to be a poor, starving artist, it's going to be really hard. All of those things can be true, but there's also so many possibilities within the art world too. So it's sort of a a. You know, I was directed away as much as possible and my, my dad in particular, wanted me to go. He wanted me to do the geography degree because he thought you just get a proper degree under your belt. It was. I was going to Bristol Uni, so it's a good university. It's like do that, you know, people will know that you're smart and then if you want to do the art thing afterwards, go for it. So he was always an encourager of me as a person, but not necessarily art as a career well, no, they must be so proud I so sad.
Speaker 2:actually, my dad passed away in 2016, so he didn't see a lot of the work I did with graffiti life, which was cool, so he saw the start of it, but he's not seen any of my solo career and I would have loved to have shown him, and also he loved to travel, so I know that if I was doing projects abroad, he would have come, probably become an anomaly, to be honest, and so I'd love to have shown him, and also my mum too my mum's, where I get my creative side from. You know, like she, she was a beautician and that's how she expressed herself, but but she also passed away, so I would love to show them both, but they're not around. Having said that, I've got the most amazing brother and sister who are super supportive. My sister, in particular, is like my biggest cheerleader, and my niece too. My niece is 13. She's really artistic. I'm definitely favourite auntie. She still thinks I'm cool. In a few years she'll realize, you know, but yeah, that's cool oh, rosie, I'm so sorry.
Speaker 1:I didn't realize that I really am oh, you don't need to be sorry.
Speaker 2:It's just something that's happened, and it happens to many, many people.
Speaker 1:I'm not alone in that club well, I'm so delighted that you've got a little niece now thinking that you're the cool auntie. Yeah, whenever you're a creative kid and you've got a family member or a neighbour who's got loads of art materials in their house and when you go over you get to get stuck in with the markers and create something, so I bet she loves being around you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she does, although she's just discovered Instagram. She's 13. And do you know what? It's actually terrifying to see, because I use Instagram all the time. Right, it's part of my job and definitely addicted to my phone in that whole like checking.
Speaker 2:I check every day, you know, like that's just well. Yuck, it's quite sad. I've seen her going from drawing a lot because that's how she'd feel her time to now picking her phone up, and it makes me sad because I just want her to spend more time drawing and creating. But you know, everyone's got their own way, haven't they?
Speaker 1:It's a really tricky one actually. Yeah, it's something that I talk to a lot of people about, and so many of us, myself included, don't have a good relationship with Instagram because you can just get sucked into this cycle of doom scrolling or comparing yourself to other people or just seeing this facade of people don't really share the difficult things and the hard things and it's such a misleading little part of the world oh my gosh, it is completely, completely.
Speaker 2:The comparison thing is for sure, like for mental health terrible, but on the flip side, it's also really inspiring. So it's a double-edged sword, isn't it? Like I wouldn't have been able to do the things I've been able to do without it, but also, sometimes I'd probably feel a lot better about myself if I wasn't looking at what everyone else is doing. I do think, on balance, it's it's better, it's more good than bad.
Speaker 1:I spoke about this recently, where I was saying what I think Instagram does give is community and it helps you find other people that you can either get to know or be friends with or be inspired by, and that's where it's really strong, so it does have some positivity to it.
Speaker 2:It definitely does, yeah.
Speaker 1:So I went a little bit off track there because I wanted to ask more about starting out painting and being in London. So you are originally from London and you've now moved to Australia. So what took you to Australia?
Speaker 2:I planned to come here for six months. I was like I just need a break. It was actually after my dad died and I was like I just know what. I just need a big holiday, big adventure. I'm also wanting to paint and Melbourne is a really amazing painting scene well, street art scene so I just figured I'll head to Melbourne. No one knows me, I can paint, make all the mistakes I want to make and no one's going to know it's me. I can speak the language, I can get the visa. Great Six months, big break. Go back. I don't. I'm here still seven years later. So I had the first six months. I'm like this is cool, I love it here.
Speaker 2:I want to stay a bit longer, but my heart's always still been in England and in London. I was like I'm just going to do one more year, just going to do one more year, and I've ended up meeting my partner, dan, who is the most Australian person you have ever met. You think about an Australian person like long hair, surfer, chilled, that's it. So, yeah, we're still here, but we did live in London. We came back for two years, but it was during Covid, so we didn't really get to properly explore being what life was like in England together, but we might come back at some point. We're still exploring options.
Speaker 1:I love that. He's this pure surfer type and I can imagine him strolling around London being like.
Speaker 2:This is different oh my gosh, it was hilarious. It was honestly seeing London with completely alien eyes, taking him because the the tube and the elevators in the tube yeah, he, yeah. He was losing his mind. I felt like I was sending a child off to school the first day. I let him on the tube by himself. When he had to get to work. I was like you go here, change at this stop. Then you go here and you have to get the last train home. It was brilliant.
Speaker 1:So well, hopefully you do make it back, because I would love to see more of your work popping up in London. On that note, your recent trip to London. So, like I said, I wasn't aware of your work before. Then, all of a sudden, it blew up my Instagram. Everyone was sharing it, being like this is incredible, and I was like, oh my God, this really is incredible. It's such a bit of me. It's everything that I love. I was like I need to talk to this girl. I need to learn. How did she learn this? Where did this come from? I want to know everything. So you've done commercial art and you've worked with a ton of brands. How did you develop, using all of that background, into the style that you have now? I'm just curious if it's like a brief that you must follow, or do you get to put some of Rosie Woods into it?
Speaker 2:So all the commercial collaborations I've done since I've been working for myself have always had a favour of me. Prior to that I was doing commercial work which was purely commercial work. It was like I had no involvement in the artistry, it was just. I was just like applying the paint. But there's always yeah, there's always a brief and it's just working. It's just trying to see whether my style of work fits to what they're looking for and sort of the balancing act between what I think is cool and what would work and I'd like to see in a certain way and what they want. So it's just that balancing act.
Speaker 1:You've worked with so many brands, you have something that was so useful to me and, if anybody wants to be really inspired, you've got a street art CV on your website. So whenever I'm going to speak with someone, I'm like, okay, I'll do a little bit of research, find out a little bit more, so I don't ask them things that they get asked all the time and try to look at something a bit different. And I read your street art CV and I was unbelievably inspired. Rosie, oh, really.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's so funny I don't know that anyone's ever looked at that. So I'm glad I've done that so good. It's really genuinely so good, and what I'll do when I release this as a podcast, I'll share the link so that people can go and see all of the many different things you've worked on and to feel really inspired as well, because it's so much. You've done so many cool things. Did you always have this as a dream? Did you know where this was going? Did you have it as a goal?
Speaker 2:no, well, yes, again, like yes and no. I had. No, I had no exposure to street art really, although I grew up in southeast London well, north Kent place called Bromley, so it's like the suburbs really. There was, there was maybe a bit of graffiti, but there wasn't street art as we know it today around me, so I didn't have it in my mind either that it was even a possibility. And then when I was studying at uni, even still, it was very much the fine art world and and the street art scene. It wasn't the murals that we see today, it was. It was straight up graffiti.
Speaker 2:Well, for the most part and I like parts of graffiti, but it's not where you know, my skill set is I'm not going to go paint trains, I'm just I can't run quick enough. Basically, so we're gonna happen. But I guess the consistent theme was that I knew I always wanted to paint and it's just one of those you can only join the dots thinking back. It was one of those definitely slight signs from the universe or like hits of intuition that have led me along this path, which I had no idea I would be on. But why not?
Speaker 2:But when I did discover it, when I first sort of really, my eyes were open to what was possible within the street art world and it's growing and growing and growing. I knew, I knew. As soon as I saw it, I was like this is what I want to do. Like it's like tunnel vision. I was like I want to paint murals, this is what I want to do, this is what I love to do. Yeah, so I'd say for, like, I've been pursuing it very hard core for the last seven years, with a few years you know, covid in between.
Speaker 1:So the first mural that you ever did, from having it as a dream, from realising I want to do this, to going out and doing it. What was that experience like?
Speaker 2:I was really lucky. So the first so Graffiti Life took me on and I was doing commercial jobs with them and I felt like the biggest imposter, like what am I doing here? Like I am not qualified to do this. But I was doing it with a team so I was really like you know, they were holding my hand the whole way. When I did my first, I guess, piece of street art, actually industry was in brick lane. David Speed did it with me just to just to basically encourage me and, you know, make sure I was okay. So I've really been.
Speaker 2:This is not the usual introduction into street art where you're just, you know, doing illegal things by yourself. My hand was really held the whole way. So that was an amazing experience like met so many people I remember it was on a Sunday on a plane and like the amount of people coming back and forth, like I felt like a celebrity, awesome. And also we got permission from the spot, so we didn't have to worry about it being illegal, doing it quickly. But then the first things I went off to do by myself myself like no hand-holding, honestly, like so nervous, like not sleeping the night before, really just not, not, not backing myself just thinking like they're gonna find out I'm in, I'm not who I say I am and it's all gonna be terrible, but it's always been fine. And even if it's not fine, it's just pain. I'm not doing brain surgery, so just paint over over it, it's all good.
Speaker 2:Exactly that's what I always tell people, like, if people are scared, I'm just like, it's just paint, paint over it, it's fine, yeah, yeah, I've got to learn that, david and another guy when I was learning, they were just like, honestly, no stress, it's just paint.
Speaker 1:I, I love that you had that encouragement. So David has been a guest on this podcast before and he is the most encouraging person. He is just one of those people that make you believe you can do anything.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, he's wonderful. I really felt like him. Yonah Adam, all that team, they were heaven sent for me, really set the foundations of my 20s up and I'm still in contact with them. I see them. I see them whenever I go back to London because, yeah, I love them today absolutely wonderful.
Speaker 1:Like the rest of the team sound the same. That just make you believe you can do anything, and that's so powerful when people make you believe in yourself, and I make you believe that they do it.
Speaker 2:They, they were like one of the first commercial mural companies and they took a lot of flack for it because you know it wasn't cool, like it wasn't the done thing by the graffiti street art community, but they made it happen and they've set up so many other businesses since, like they just put their mind to it and they do it. And seeing that, especially at an early age, was just so encouraging, like when people were saying me, you can't do this, I'm like I, I know I can, like I'm seeing people do it.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, I've definitely taken that on in life you've just said something that I'd love to talk a little bit about, and that is people telling you you can't do something. But having this inner belief and also seeing the evidence that others can, and having such a strong will that you're able to listen to your intuition and know in your gut this is right for you and other people's opinions don't really matter, but a lot of people don't have the strength to say no, my intuition is stronger than what someone else is telling me. Do you have any advice for anybody who's receiving the I can'ts from external sources?
Speaker 2:I think it just depends who it's coming from. You know, if it's coming from a loved one, it's just because they care about you and they just want the best for you and they're just worried. If it's coming from someone you don't really know, maybe it's like a jealousy thing, they just want to put you down. So just I guess, being worried where the I can'ts are coming from. Or if it's someone in your field that is very experienced and they're saying, like actually, this is really difficult, maybe don't do this. Like maybe listen to that too.
Speaker 2:But on the whole, it's like they say, like if you can imagine it, it can be done, and people are doing new things all the time. Like I had no idea this would be a career you just gotta follow whatever that niggle is and if you get given, I do think that if you get given an idea or like a real desire to do something that's often come from you know, like call it the universe or god or whatever it is, I do I do believe that those things are given to you and just give it a go. Pursue it. Yeah, why not if you can?
Speaker 1:absolutely, rosie. I am currently doing the artist's way. Have you ever heard of the artist's way? I?
Speaker 2:haven't no. What's that?
Speaker 1:from everything you've just said. It's right up your street and I highly recommend it. It it's a 12-week program. I have it literally right here and maybe this is the universe telling you to do it. The whole concept of this is you've just kind of touched on ideas being a bit of a gift from the universe. I'm doing it as a podcast with my friend Helz, who is a proper London girl, thinks the universe and manifesting is all total in her own words, bullshit. She doesn't believe in it, whereas I'm quite spiritual. We're doing this as a podcast because we can share two perspectives and it sounds like you're a little bit more on my side of the fence. I think inspiration and ideas are there for the taking, and if you get an idea and you don't use it, it goes to somebody else, because sometimes you see something that somebody's done and you're like I swear I had that exact idea.
Speaker 2:I've experienced that, having an idea and not acting upon it, and then seeing someone else do it. I'm so annoyed at myself.
Speaker 1:What experiences have you had that makes you feel this way? I feel like we can do anything and I feel like I get these ideas that burst into my brain and I have to just write it down straight away. I feel like, oh, I have to go do that now or else I'm going to lose that idea. It's going to go to someone else. What makes you?
Speaker 2:feel like this. I went to India for six weeks and when I was there I feel like it had a premonition, Like it was. It was like like that thing, like an idea just dropped into my mind. It was so clear. So when I was studying I was painting a lot of botanicals, but I was doing it in a really formulated like symmetrical way and it was looking at how things that are really macro, so like the veins on the leaf, also look like, you know, a river system and how the macro and the micro are linked together. So I was really interested in botanicals, but looking at it in sort of like a new perspective, and I just had this really clear vision to paint really big, beautiful flowers across London or just across the world.
Speaker 2:Really. I was just like it was. That was in 2000 and when would that have been 2012? Yeah, maybe 2013 or something. I had that and that was way before.
Speaker 2:Like street art as we know it, and murals was kicking off and then when I started in the sort of the mural game, it was still really like graffiti focused things that I consider, I guess, more beautiful, maybe more feminine. What I hadn't seen it, like, I hadn't seen it. Those are the things that are really brightening up our cities now. Like people are painting these amazing, like naturalist street art mural pieces.
Speaker 1:I would really like to hear a little bit more about the difference in working in art in London and in Australia. How is, how is it perceived or how does it feel to be doing it? Is it similar, is it different?
Speaker 2:it's to be doing it. Is it similar? Is it different? It's really different, but the main difference being that I've gone from living in a city to living in a beach town, which, if you look at, you know smart career choices. That probably wasn't one of them. It was sort of a reflex move, moving. Well, initially I moved to Melbourne and that was great, I'd say. The scene that was really exciting. I did meet lots of women painting in Melbourne. I don't know why, I don't know how that happened, I don't know if there are more women in Australia painting, but my experience was I did meet a lot more. And also, when I got here, I realized you know, in London we've got so many beautiful historic buildings.
Speaker 2:We've got a lot of awful buildings too, but there aren't as many painting big blank painting walls as there are in Australia, because in Australia there's a lot more modern architecture where there's these just enormous blank concrete slabs which are just there for the taking for murals. So I did notice there was a real hunger and energy in the scene here initially when I got here. But now I've moved to this town called Noosa, which is paradise. It's so stunning. But I've really had to shift my practice to the studio more because the industry is just not here for me to be making loads of money for murals. I have to travel a lot to do that, but I'm okay with that at the moment because I want to push my studio practice more. I have done a lot of the mural stuff.
Speaker 1:I think that's a really fantastic point. Let me just say that I love London so much. There's this incredible energy in London. Like the only place that I can compare it to is New York. I lived in New York. There was this 24 hour energy and the only place I've ever found that is London. Yeah, but the difference is the buildings is what makes and there's more crazy people in New York. Difference is the buildings is what makes and there's more crazy people in New York, but it's kind of a crazy place. But I always say the difference in New York and London is the level of crazy that goes on there, the buildings and obviously the health care. But I'm like it's the same vibe, the same energy and it's a really good point.
Speaker 1:It's really hard to find walls in London because everything is so historic. A lot of things are protected. There's still a real perspective on graffiti versus street art. Street art is becoming a lot more used and commercial and there's a lot more. Street art is more acceptable if it's on a permissioned place In Melbourne or in Australia. It sounds like there's so much more space for the taking and that's really interesting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there, there definitely is. But going back to your point about about London, is you cannot beat London's vibe? Like I absolutely agree with that, like Melbourne has something similar, but, yeah, the buzz of London. I think that's why I'm always hungry to go back. I'm always like I love it here, like living here is also something that people said to me, like you can't do that, like I'm living in this really beautiful place that I've chosen to live in, and people were like, yeah, but that's not the real world. I'm like it's my real world, it's my real world right now and that is awesome, but, oh my gosh, like the art scene, the energy, yeah, always will always be London, and specifically East London oh, oh, east London forever.
Speaker 1:So question for you when you get off the plane from Heathrow let's assume it's Heathrow when you land in Heathrow, what's the first?
Speaker 2:thing you do. I go to Marks and Spencer's and buy our best ever prawn sandwich. Marks and Spencer's oh, you can't beat it.
Speaker 1:I go to Marks and Spencer's and buy veggie Percy pigs.
Speaker 2:Veggie Percy pigs. Oh, you know what? Not a big Percy pig fan, but everything else Marks and Spencer's love.
Speaker 1:They were the original making gelatin-free jelly sweets. Yeah, Marks and Spencer's love it Fab. So you have travelled all over the world doing art. You know you're across the world right now as we speak. Has there been any particular places that you've loved and any particular art pieces that you've really loved?
Speaker 2:Okay, what springs to mind straight away is this job I had. It's actually one of my first kind of like big jobs that I got. I couldn't believe I got it. They were paying to fly me there and just pinching myself on the plane Like I can't believe someone's paying for me to get on this plane to pay and it was. It was in the middle of Australia, in the middle of Western Australia. It was a gold mining town called Kalgoorlie. That was so fascinating because I would never go there, like there's no reason I'd ever hit that place. But it really opened my eyes to just a completely different side of Australia, like the wild west of Australia. They've got saloon doors, it's.
Speaker 2:People have gold fever, it's you know, it's just really different place but I met so many wonderful, interesting people so that was really really cool. I felt really, I just felt really privileged. I'd have had that experience that most people, when they come to Australia, wouldn't see. That was cool. Another one I love. I love nature and I love mountains in particular, and when I did this street art festival in Grenoble in France, I could see the Alps from my lift. When I was painting, I just oh so inspiring for me, just just seeing like the epicness of, you know, planet earth, mother nature, and then I was also painting this like epic leaf sized piece, just yeah a bit of, yeah, a bit of synchronicity there.
Speaker 2:Maybe I just yeah, felt really again lucky to do that.
Speaker 1:I know that you're going to be coming back to London in September, which is really exciting, but you also mentioned that to me earlier, that you're going to Aruba.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, going to the Caribbean. Yeah, I'd never heard of Aruba. I had to Google it. I was like where is this place? It's just above Venezuela. So, yeah, I've been invited to paint there, which, again, I've never been to the Caribbean. So I'm getting a pinch of myself Flying there. It is a long haul flight from Australia. Let me tell you that I've got to get to LA, then LA I've played somewhere in America and then I fly to Aruba. So I'm there for two weeks or 10 days painting a piece, and that there's a little bit of a brief with that one. It's it's got to be. The mural needs to be inspired by the island, so you're doing something a little bit different there, but I'm excited for that. And then after that, I'm coming back to England, get my M&S sandwich and I'm going to go to a festival called Western Walls, which is in Western Superman Again, never been there. Then I'm back to London for London Mural Festival.
Speaker 1:Is there anywhere that is on your to-do list that you haven't been to yet? Is there any particular country or city or location that you're like? I want to go paint there, and that's the dream.
Speaker 2:Yes, wynwood Walls, miami. Yes.
Speaker 1:I love it there having been, I've not seen it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's so incredible yeah, I need to get there. That's what I need to do. Yeah, at some point I have messaged her so many times that is on my hit list um, yeah, that, and I'd like to paint some more in America, I think, but particularly Miami, and I'd like to just see Art Basel and see the all crazy art hype around that scene. And, yeah, it always seems like so many people from the street art community go to miami for art barzo in december. I need to try and get there this year. Maybe I can try and fit it in this year. If anyone can hook me up with a wall in miami, let me know ask and you shall receive rosie.
Speaker 1:Just you wait. Honestly, if anybody has a wall in miami and wants an incredible artist to come, this is great. Yes, you never know, I will put it out there for any particular reason for windward walls in miami, or is it just the incredible legacy that they've got there?
Speaker 2:it's just a legacy, I think. I think when I started painting they were the ogs of the. You know, someone just taking a total gamble on street art has been like paint this district, let's see what happens. Um, and just so many iconic artists have painted there. That, yeah, I just I think it's an accolade to to get there, you know. So hopefully at some point, well.
Speaker 1:Have there been any artists you mentioned the incredible artists that have painted there. Has there been any artists that have been particularly influential to you?
Speaker 2:yeah, um human allison. I can't remember her last name, allison something do you know her work.
Speaker 2:How she spells her handle is h-u-e, so like hue is in the color hue she has. I think I just discovered her pretty early on when I started painting murals. She's a few years ahead of me, I think. She's about like I think she's oh gosh, if she's listening, I know everything about her life Definitely stalked her she's. I think she's like late 30s Also, has had a couple of kids and still managed to continue her career. Like she paints small studio these days but still does incredible murals.
Speaker 2:I just think she was someone that's putting out work early on that was unapologetically feminine but also really cool. Like it wasn't just like really girly for sleeping curly, it was just like it was such it was feminine energy on a huge scale that so many people could relate to. And her, her style was very different to mine. Like she's very she's very gestural and expressionistic with her strokes, but she does this also beautiful blend of abstract forms with realistic features in there, and I just think she's amazing. I just think she's listening as well. Like not that she'd be listening. I think she is so inspiring, think she is so inspiring and I probably you know, if there wasn't people like that, I maybe wouldn't have pursued, you know, a career in the mural game as much as I have.
Speaker 1:There are others, for sure, but she springs to mind well, what's really beautiful about that is that woman probably has no idea that you feel this way. I hope she listens to this, and here I have a theory that if you think something nice about somebody, they should hear it, because it's no good having lovely thoughts inside your own mind that the person isn't benefiting from, so you need to tell them. So send her this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll send you a link to this when it's out. Be like, listen to the end.
Speaker 1:But have you considered that again? We've talked briefly about how you're one of the only women who are doing this on a huge scale that I'm seeing on the streets, and you're also working all over the world. Consider that you are one of those, those women that are inspiring others.
Speaker 2:Oh, I hope so. Yeah, I mean there are. There are loads more women doing it now, for sure, but it's nice to know that it's, yeah, hopefully inspiring other people as well.
Speaker 1:I really just sound like I'm gassing you up at this point and I'm definitely going to have to cut some of it, because people are going to be like God, calm down.
Speaker 2:I'm loving this. I feel great.
Speaker 1:I've mentioned the murals that you have, and they are humongous. You have these huge murals so unique. I was in Old Street where I saw your gold one. Do you get people approaching you? What are the reactions from your murals? The thing about painting outside is you get street interaction, and have you had any experiences that you'd like to share about that?
Speaker 2:Do you know what that piece I did in Old Street, I think, really struck a chord with people and I think it's probably one of the better pieces I've actually ever done. And it was kind of an accident I had been doing. I'd been asked by ABV gallery in Atlanta to do a yellow piece for one of their shows and I was really like yellow, like I don't use yellow, like this is what am I? What I don't like yellow, what am I going to do? And I ended up thinking, oh, actually, no, hang on, like I do paint gold things in my work, like that's always been a kind of little feature, so maybe I'll focus on that. So I did that, sent that off. They actually didn't sell, but kind of sparked an interest. I was like I'm just gonna experiment with this a bit more.
Speaker 2:So I did a few more canvases at home and then when I went back to London sorry, in the studio. And then when I went back to London I was like I want to paint a piece for my back home. I'm going to give this gold thing a bit of an experiment. So that's the first gold mural that I have done and the response has been overwhelming actually, and I think, perhaps because it's less complicated, it's like you can understand it quite easily, although it has still that abstract element, like people can you know, resonate the fact. It's less complicated, it's like you can understand it quite easily, although it has still that abstract element, like people can you know, resonate the fact it's gold. Gold is like, it's such a you know, it's been in our, our culture for so long. It's like a precious metal. I don't know, it's just a good mural.
Speaker 2:I just had the most amazing reactions from that one. I was just yeah, I just I'm glad I took a shot and did that. But yeah, I met so many interesting people. I actually had, uh, I had loads of people that I know stop by, which was great. But I also had the owner of the wall stop by who told me he was going to paint it out straight away.
Speaker 2:So you always do the good with the bad. I've had so many. I've had a couple of times when people have come up to me and told me they think what I'm doing is awful and they can't believe. I've had so many. I've had a couple of times when people have come up to me and told me they think what I'm doing is awful and they can't believe I've been allowed to do this, and so, yeah, a real mixture. A lot of people that stop you, want to tell, tell you about their work, which I'd love to hear at the pub, but not when I'm in the middle of painting a mural. Yeah, and I guess I don't know if you've had this as well. The amount of people that stop me, oh my gosh, to say whoa, I didn't know, bugsy was a girl. I'm sure you have that too. Yeah, that's a pretty common for people stopping me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's still there. As far as I know that I passed not not too long ago, I think it is still there, yeah, yeah, yeah, so good to know that he had some sense, but it's. Does he have any idea how lucky he is to get this art given not only to him for free on his wall, but for the world? Like that's? What's so beautiful about street art is it's not locked away in some person's sitting room where people can't see it, and it's nice that they can enjoy it privately as well. But street art is so special because the world can see it, so to paint over that and take it away is so selfish, yeah true, there's also that pressure, isn't it like, because it is for the world.
Speaker 2:I do feel a bit of responsibility about what you put out there, but I do love that there's such like a mix of work out there now, like you've got everything from like political work, like activist work to then other just things that are really nice to look at absolutely that is it.
Speaker 1:I love animals and I love flowers and I love all the pretty shiny things. Like I, everything I do is glittery, hollow, everything's glittery, if I can have holographic and glitter like oh yes.
Speaker 1:I've just shown Rosie my sticker on the back of my phone and glittery unicorn that I painted. I just think it's so beautiful that we can have really serious, impactful political work alongside the unicorn. The people who want to see the unicorn like little kids love this kind of thing. It's nice for them. But then beside that will be something that is really gut-wrenchingly painful to hear about because it's something that's unfair in the world and political. So you have a free-for-all you can share those things.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I sort of kind of wish I was more that way inclined some ways, that there are some things that I would, and actually maybe that might feature further down the line, like it is a platform where you can tell what you think is a truth or talk about something that you think needs to be talked about. Yeah, I just, I just admire those people that have the balls to do it. But I think the fact that there is the mixture is what makes it exciting. Like we couldn't have all of that. It would be too heavy. Everyone would walk around being like, oh God, stop with all the heavy messaging.
Speaker 1:Or just I think the fact that there is just such a a mixture is what makes the whole you know, painting outside exciting. Before we wrap up, I would love to come back and ask we got a little bit distracted about your 3d modeling, yeah, how did that go? Where are you with that now?
Speaker 2:um, it's been a. It's been a journey. It's been great because I've produced. I've got to produce all the like.
Speaker 2:The gold piece I painted in old street was made in 3d modeling. Yeah, you can create things that you wouldn't be able to create otherwise. It's enormously frustrating and the technology is moving so quickly. So I'm learning things, or I, you know, got to the stage where I've learned it competently, and then the whole software updates and changes and the layout changes and and now you've got like things like blender, which are, you know, much more accessible, like a lot more people are using it. So I really thought it was going to be.
Speaker 2:I really thought I'd be able to do a lot more with it and I really wanted to animate my murals. That was always something I wanted to do, but the computing power you need for that I don't have in my laptop. You need to work with an animator for that. So I've got a bit of love hate with it, like I'm. It's. It's taking me to where I am now, but if, if someone said you couldn't use it again anymore, maybe I wouldn't be sad. I'd be like, okay, I gave that a go, I'm on to the next thing now, but maybe that's just how I'm feeling today. I might feel differently tomorrow.
Speaker 1:I have the same. I'm like I'll try this, I'll give it a go. Okay, that wasn't for me, maybe I'll move on, yeah, or something that you really get into. I've gotten really into resin lately, awesome that's hot.
Speaker 2:Yes, I've tried to use that.
Speaker 1:Really messed it up resin is so messy and I am so messy, but I love that. I love that you're willing to give it a go and invest time and energy into practicing something and then being like you know what that either worked out. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean proud of myself for teaching myself to do it. Um, and it definitely came from a passion place, like who else stays up at midnight watching videos about 3d modeling I don't know weirdos, but yeah. Yeah it's been cool. It's opened some doors for me so we are at time.
Speaker 1:Unfortunately, I'm so sad to say. I know everybody's going to want to see this incredible work that we've been talking about. Where can people find you on social?
Speaker 2:oh so socials. I'm on Instagram mainly, so my handle is it's it's Rosie R-O-S-I-E Woods. It's Rosie Woods. That's the best place to find me.
Speaker 1:Rosie, thank you for your time. This has genuinely been so lovely to talk to you and really inspiring to talk to a woman who is doing all of the things that I love. Firstly, holographic iridescent work. It's so beautiful and very, very personally inspiring. Thank you so much for speaking with me.
Speaker 2:I don't know who's you know seeing your work and who it's connecting with, so it's it's so great for me um to hear that you love it too do, and I know that there's going to be loads of people who want to go and check out your work.
Speaker 1:So please go and check Rosie out, and, rosie, we will see you in London in September and I can't wait to see more work of yours popping up oh well, awesome, can't wait for it.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for having me. Thank you.
Speaker 1:There you have it. Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of this Is Disruption. If you've enjoyed today's conversation, make sure to follow the podcast and never miss an episode. You can find us on all major podcast platforms Apple Podcasts, spotify, etc. Also on YouTube. Stay connected with us on social media. You can find the podcast at thisisdisruptionpod on Instagram and TikTok and you will find updates and snippets of upcoming shows. Until next time, keep challenging the status quo, embracing your creative spirit, and be brave. Go and create. Thank you and see you in the next episode.