Rose Kennedy
A lifelong resident of NC, Rose Kennedy previously worked as a graphic designer. She also worked for 18 years with an art publisher/licensing agency creating water color/mixed media paintings in the juvenile genre.
Rose now creates oil paintings in her home studio and at Cape Fear Studios in Fayetteville, NC. Her work has been juried into international, national and regional events, garnering awards along the way. Rose participates in several plein air events each year. In addition to painting she enjoys teaching others through workshops and private lessons.
Gallery
Biography
Born in southeastern North Carolina, Rose Kennedy grew up close to the coast, the Blue Ridge Mountains and all the beautiful landscape stretching in between. She developed heartfelt ties to earth and nature. Drawing and painting were her favorite pastimes, so continuing artistic ventures into adulthood was a given. With a degree in Commercial Art, Rose worked as a product/graphic designer for a home decor manufacturer. She also worked with an art publisher and licensing agency creating mixed media paintings in the juvenile genre. These images were recreated as prints and licensed for use on consumer goods.
Rose now enjoys the expressiveness of creating original oil paintings inspired by her observations in nature. Whether recreating the beauty of the landscape, painting street scenes, floral or still life, capturing the essence of the scene is her goal. Her focus is on creating a feeling of painterly presence within her work that implies detail without being literal. “I liken the lyrical nature of a painting to that of a musical score, following a rhythmic melody that creates beauty and mood within the piece.”
Rose’s work has been juried into numerous national exhibits and competitions, winning awards along the way. Teaching art lessons to adults and children, she works from her studio on the family farm and in downtown Fayetteville NC at Cape Fear Studios. As an active member of this artist cooperative, she has worked on a number of projects, including organizing children’s workshops, an annual national 2D competition, and monthly gallery exhibition rotations.
Rose has participated in a number of plein air events, including the Piedmont Plein Air Paint Out, the Azalea Festival Plein Air Paint Out, the Blowing Rock Plein Air Festival, Paint It Orange, NC Plein Air Festival at New Bern, Suffolk Plein Air Festival, Floyd Plein Air Festival and Florida Keys Plein Air Invitational. Her work is held in several private and corporate collections, and she is featured in the publication Painting North Carolina, A Visual Journey.
2024
Arts Council Moore County Fall Into Autumn Exhibit. 1st Place.
Cape Fear Studios Miniature Competition. Best of Show 2D.
2023
Arts Council Moore County’s 43rd Annual Fine Arts Festival, Southern Pines, NC. 1st Place Oil Category.
Artist Statement
Creating representation of beauty and intrigue in the landscape, whether light and shadow, atmospheric conditions or interesting shapes, is my journey. Plein air painting is a great way to capture these moments, and serves as study for studio work as well. The challenge outdoors is in working with quickly changing conditions to portray the essence of a scene in an aesthetically and emotionally pleasing manner. My objective is to create a visual orchestration that has its’ own voice, speaking a lyrical narrative that conveys mood and presence. My work has an artistic quality that bears my signature, figuratively speaking, through each brushstroke. I have been participating in Plein air events since 2010, and this is my 5th year at the North Carolina Plein Air Festival in New Bern!