Robinson, Rosi

Rosi was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, educated in the UK and graduated with a BA in History from Vassar College, NY. USA. She is a member of the NSDCC and spends three or four months of the year in Nova Scotia.

Rosi was introduced to batik in 1970. For 43 years, she taught art in primary schools in the UK - 28 of them as Head of Art in a Prep School in Sussex.

In July 2013, Rosi retired from full-time teaching and now exhibits her batik paintings, lectures and teaches batik workshops throughout the UK, Europe, Asia, Nova Scotia, Canada and USA.

Rosi has written three books and produced a DVD on Batik. In February 2014 and September 2015 she was featured in the 'International Artist Magazine'.

Artist’s Statement

There is something about batik that is magical and alluring. Both the process of applying the wax to resist the dyes and the instantaneous explosion of colour as the dyes hit the fabric have inspired me for over 46 years! 

My batiks are more like figurative watercolour paintings on cotton fabric and not traditional batik. I try to capture light and movement in my work. Reflections feature prominently in my batik paintings. Batiks on fabric have a depth of colour which somehow cannot be achieved by painting on paper. The dyes sink into the fibers of the cotton fabric thus giving a 3D effect. Fabric, wax, dye colour and a lot of patience are what makes Batik such a fascinating and challenging medium.