Artist in conversation: Rose Wambsganss
“ my creativity is a river. It changes based on the elements around me. Sometimes it leads me down a strange path but there is so much beauty along the way I can’t stop ”
Rose Wambsganss discovered her passion for art at a young age, capturing her first Best of Show award at just 12 years old in Colorado. Her artistic journey began with watercolors and has since traversed a diverse array of media including paints, inks, glass, and metals. Today, Rose's medium of choice is ink on fine art paper, reflecting her evolved artistic expression.
Raised in an environment that celebrated creativity, Rose's education was deeply influenced by the arts. This foundation propelled her through college, where she earned multiple degrees and embarked on a successful career in graphic design. However, her true calling led her to retire from the corporate world to fully immerse herself in her art.
Rose's creative process is profoundly meditative and spontaneous. She describes it as sitting with a blank piece of paper and an alcohol ink pen, clearing her mind, and focusing on one tiny line at a time. This approach, akin to the practice of Zentangle, allows her to create intricate, repetitive patterns that bring her into an intense, beautiful state of focus and mindfulness. Through her art, Rose experiences and shares a unique form of creative freedom and meditative tranquility.
What initially inspired you to become an artist, and how did you develop your unique style?
My parents initially inspired me to love art and want it in my life. My mom can draw better than I can but fell into a career specifying paint for Architects. My father is an insanely good silversmith but also got caught up in a machining career. Both brought a curiosity for all things creative and a playfulness in experimentation. We would often visit galleries and chat about art, leading me to find my style at a young age. The surrealism of Salvador Dali and mind-blowing architectural designs of Frank Lloyd Wright are among my great loves in artists. My parents opened that vein within me and now it flows freely in all I do.
Do you have any rituals or routines that help you get into a creative mindset when starting a new project?
This is entirely what the intensity collection is all about. Creative freedom through a meditative type of state. Often, there is no planning, goal, or sketching for my art. I sit with a blank piece of paper and an alcohol ink pen and just go for it. I clear my mind of all the weight and worries I carry daily, focusing on one tiny little line at a time. It creates the most beautiful, intense, and focused state of mind that I’m capable of. Creating the repetitive patterns over and over with such fine lines puts me into a creative meditative state, like the practice of Zentangle.
Can you share more about the artwork that won you your first Best of Show award at the age of 12 in Colorado?
I had a teacher in middle school that encouraged me to dig deep and be confident in my work. He told me I had something special, even though I didn’t believe him at the time. One day we had a class project to draw hands. I told him I’d prefer to do feet because I was more inspired to create them. He told me I couldn’t do it. My “I can’t do it button” was broken, so I did it anyway. I submitted it for an art show at the local mall and won best of show.
How did your artistic journey evolve from using watercolors to experimenting with various paints, inks, glass, and metals?
My artistic journey is based on playfulness, experimentation, and curiosity. There is no better feeling for me than to sit with a new medium and learn what its capable of and limited by. I take every opportunity to learn about all forms of art. Some I have left behind because they don’t spark my interest enough and others have stuck so deep they have become a part of my identity.
I feel as though my creativity is a river. It changes based on the elements around me. Sometimes it leads me down a strange path but there is so much beauty along the way I can’t stop.
Can you discuss a piece of your artwork that holds significant personal or emotional meaning for you?
Each piece in the intensity collection holds very significant value to me. My process is so very time consuming and often draws from my emotional state, that I feel a piece of me is on each drawing. I can look through and know what I was trying to heal from at the time so they’re really markers of healing for me. The one drawing that holds the most value is Becky. It was completed near the annual anniversary of her death. My cousin Becky was a force in Peru fighting human trafficking and living her life as a missionary. She was murdered in the most brutal way. I created the piece for her mother to bring light and show that she will not be forgotten. My heart still breaks for her and her family.
How do you incorporate feedback from critics and audiences into your artistic practice, and how do you balance this feedback with your own artistic intuition?
The primary source of feedback I receive is through show applications and requests for gallery representation. I often talk about how I get one yes for every ten declines I get. I make myself move forward and keep pushing towards my goals. A lot of being an artist is entrepreneurial in nature and requires the “spinning of wheels.” Eventually traction happens and we artists get some forward motion.
The work I do comes so naturally from inside of me that there isn’t a whole lot of room for critique. Love it or hate it, it comes from my soul.
How do you stay motivated and inspired despite any setbacks or creative blocks you may encounter?
There have been huge gaps at times in my art career. I try to find creativity in everyday life with creating food or decorating my home, but there is a difference when I’m deeply focused on my art. It’s almost as though my mind and body are on fire. The need to create is so strong it can’t be ignored. Since it’s such a healing practice, it’s often most motivating when I experience significant trauma or emotional stress.
How do you feel about exhibiting your artworks with The Holy Art Gallery?
The Holy art is an exciting new venue to show my work. It exposes me to people in places I struggle to reach elsewhere. I hope to build an interest in other so they in turn can also find healing through art.
Looking ahead, what are your long-term goals and aspirations as an artist, and how do you plan to achieve them?
In the future I look forward to more solo & group exhibits in galleries, teaching classes again & creating more beautiful pieces of art. My long-term goals include owning a gallery with a storefront and a place where I can teach art classes. I spend my time balancing creative growth, creating art, business and accounting, marketing, and applying for exhibits. I’m such a driven person that it's my nature to achieve my goals.
What role does emotion play in your creative process, and and how do you aim to evoke specific feelings or reactions from those who view your artworks?
Even though I create my art through a meditative state my emotions are always intense and can be found in my art. It translates to a softness in lines and curves when I’m comfortable or happy and to crisp and heavy shapes when I’m angry or frustrated.
I’ve never asked if a patron can interpret my emotions by viewing but frequently ask about theirs. When I get the opportunity to talk about what certain pieces mean, often I get shock and surprise. I truly hope that people see my art and get inspired to create their own. All it takes is pen, paper, and time.