Now I am an Artist: Rose Blake

Rose Blake is an illustrator. And she is also an artist. Her work constantly challenges the notion that the two practices must be kept separate, that an illustration cannot resonate with meaning once parted from its text accompaniment in the same way that a painting can stand alone.

Choosing vast museum-scapes as her chosen subject, Blake captures the busy hum of a gallery concourse. A couple exchange flowers, a child totters hand-in-hand with their parent, their droopy teddy almost lost in the movement, and a yoga-loving bystander is entertained by a giddy cluster of school children with matching rucksacks.

Each digitally-designed character contributes to the rich narrative the scene develops, all with their own lives and personalities. And the art on the wall, which Blake hand-paints onto the image, breathes its own history. In a meta-artistic fashion, her imagined museums become playful forums in which to redefine what is regarded as ‘exhibition-worthy’. Illustration as art is affirmed, and truly celebrated.

Blake studied Illustration and Animation at Kingston University, where she was awarded the D&AD Best New Blood Award. She followed this with an MA at the Royal College of Art. Blake has completed commissions for The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Telegraph, The Sunday Times, The BBC and Tatler.